UConn women’s basketball closed out 2024 with an ugly 67-41 win over the Providence Friars at the XL Center on Sunday. The Huskies came out on fire and led by 22 after a dominant opening quarter but only out-scored the visitors by four over the final 30 minutes.
Paige Bueckers led all scorers with 23 points — her fifth-straight game with at least 20 points — while Sarah Strong also reached double-figures with 14 points.
Geno Auriemma made the first significant change to the starting lineup this season, inserting Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy while putting Ashlynn Shade and Ice Brady on the bench. Fudd finished with eight points while El Alfy had just two points and two rebounds in 10 minutes of action.
UConn started off great. Offensively, the Huskies got whatever they wanted on offense, which resulted in a 15-0 run and 28-point first quarter. Down the other end, they wreaked havoc by forcing Providence into 10 turnovers and limiting the visitors to just two baskets in the opening 10 minutes.
The hosts struggled to keep it going into the second quarter, though. The Friars opened with six straight points while the Huskies’ offense didn’t operate as efficiently. It didn’t matter much, though — UConn still took a 45-19 lead into the half.
The break didn’t do the Huskies any good. They came out of the locker room flat and played their worst quarter of the season as a result. Providence scored 12 of the first 14 points in the second half while UConn put up five turnovers and five fouls in the period.
The Huskies finally woke up in the final two minutes and put together a 9-0 run entering the fourth quarter. Even with UConn’s struggles, the Friars didn’t mount any comeback bid and the Huskies walked away with a 26-point victory.
With the win, UConn improves to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big East. Next, the Huskies will hit the road to take on Marquette on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on SNY.
