UConn women's basketball wrapped up another dominating run through the Big East Tournament Monday night, defeating Villanova 90-51 to clinch the Huskies' 24th conference tournament championship and extending their winning streak to 50 games.
Azzi Fudd led the way with 19 points in 27 minutes, shooting 61% from the field while adding three steals. Sarah Strong contributed 18 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as the Huskies improved to 34-0 and continued their undefeated season.
But even amid the celebration at Mohegan Sun Arena, Fudd made it clear that the Huskies are focused on what comes next.
“It’s a great accomplishment, what we’ve been able to achieve so far this year,” Fudd said, as reported by Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant. “We’ll have a couple days off, and our work isn’t done yet. Being Big East champion won’t really matter in a couple of weeks.”
The moment still carried meaning for the senior guard, who experienced the celebration from multiple perspectives during her five seasons in Storrs. She reflected on her time with the program and the role she has played in its success.
“Just how grateful I am to be part of this program,” Fudd said, “fortunate to have that confetti fall on me five times here, whether I was playing, not playing, but to be a part of an incredible team all five years.”
Fudd finished the Big East Tournament with 55 points across three games.
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma said Fudd’s presence and growing confidence have made an impact on the team this season.
“She’s not that much different on the court,” Auriemma said. “The way you see her on the court is the way she is. There’s so much pulling at a lot of these kids, that’s the one thing that’s weird about the whole NIL thing. You get a day off and normally they would all sit in their sweats in front of the TV. Now, five of them are going off, ‘we’ve got to do a photo shoot.’ (Azzi) doesn’t say much, she never has, but her being around and what she does say matters. The impact has been more on the court. For the first time, there’s an assertiveness, almost, ‘I’m at that age now and there is no one around that I need to defer to.’ That’s been the biggest impact she’s had on these kids.”
The Huskies, who have won all six Big East Tournament titles since returning to the conference in 2021, are expected to earn a No. 1 seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced Sunday according to Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. UConn now sits six wins away from a record 13th national championship as March Madness begins.
