NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The UConn women’s basketball team had a lackluster performance in Wednesday’s matchup against No. 18 Ole Miss, but the Huskies responded to an ugly third quarter with a late rally to win the Baha Mar women’s championship 73-60.

The victory was the No. 2 Huskies’ second win over a ranked opponent this season. Superstar Paige Bueckers, who was named tournament MVP, paced UConn with 29 points and 11-for-17 shooting from the field, while also adding four rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals. Azzi Fudd also made the breakthrough, which earned her the award in all tournaments and achieved her highest points performance in exactly two years with 18 points. Fudd shot 8 of 11 from the field and added four rebounds plus a block.

“We knew it would be comfortable for her at some point, it just takes a while,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “But I was even surprised at how comfortable she was and how aggressive she was. Considering how hard she’s worked and how much time she’s put in, this is probably the best version of herself physically she’s been since her freshman year of high school. I was just really happy to see her out there doing what she loves and directing Azzi Fudd plays.”

Redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy was also extremely impactful for the Huskies in arguably the toughest post matchups she has ever faced, scoring a game-high eight points on 100% shooting and a game-high nine rebounds in just 20 minutes on the court Team effort, a steal and a block.

“She stayed in the context of who she is,” Auriemma said. “What we need from Jana this year and at this time is for her to play great defense because of her size and her ability to take up space. We need her to be a great rebounder, and we need her to be a target that we can throw to and make easy shots look easy. I thought she had accomplished all of these things. ”

Ole Miss applied aggressive defensive pressure from the opening whistle, double-teaming the Bueckers almost immediately in the first quarter, but the Huskies quickly adjusted to the physicality. Bueckers still managed to find gaps and led the team with seven points in the first quarter, although she was slightly less efficient than usual on 3-for-7 from the field. Freshman Sarah Strong was also an early force for the Huskies with six points and three rebounds, and neither she nor Bueckers came off the floor in the first quarter.

UConn quickly built a double-digit lead in the first half behind a stifling defensive performance — and a miserable shooting performance from Ole Miss. The Rebels were only able to make five field goals in the entire first half, three coming from 3-point range. The Huskies controlled the game on both ends of the court, with 30 of 37 first-half points coming from the lane and three different players recording blocks. UConn also forced eight turnovers and scored six points from them, while the Rebels only allowed two points from their six turnovers.

Fudd, who only returned in the third game from a torn ACL and meniscus last season, scored six points in the second quarter alone, including four straight, to give the Huskies an 8-0 run. UConn dominated the second quarter, outscoring Ole Miss 18-10, and they held the Rebels to 16.7% from the field.

But Ole Miss refused to back down and stormed into the third quarter with a 20-4 run in the first five minutes, fueled by a series of turnovers by the Huskies. UConn allowed seven turnovers in seven minutes, including six during the Rebels’ run, and Ole Miss benefited from a dramatic improvement in their shooting. The Huskies allowed 13 fewer points on turnovers in the third quarter alone as the Rebels shot 60% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range.

“The way the first half played out, I think our defensive game plan was as perfect as it could be,” Auriemma said. “We knew there would be a noticeable difference in their approach and the way they would attack us and we talked about it at half-time and we lost our temper a little bit. We have lost a little of our defensive strength, our defensive intensity. They’re really good at attacking you one-on-one and finishing on the glass… and I think one thing led to another. For us one thing led to another negatively, and for them one thing led to another and they built on it positively. ”

Fudd was the savior for UConn’s offense, ending the drought in the third quarter with her first three-pointer of the game. She scored seven straight points to extend the Huskies’ lead again, and 12 of her 18 points came after halftime. Fudd finished the game 8 of 11, second on the team, behind only Bueckers. The backcourt duo combined for 27 of UConn’s 36 points in the second half.

Turnovers continued to plague the Huskies in the fourth quarter, but Ole Miss couldn’t maintain its offensive efficiency in the third quarter. UConn finished the game with 18 total turnovers – by far its worst turnovers of the season – which gave the Rebels 17 points, but the Huskies found an answer for every Ole Miss basket. They dominated the boards in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rebels 9-4, and UConn shot 72.7% from the field while Ole Miss shot 31.3%.

“Obviously you don’t want them to go on the run and cut it down to (three), but it was a great moment for us to show our togetherness and the way we stick together in good times and bad,” Bueckers said. “It reflects what happens in practice and I think we need to limit those third quarter episodes better in practice so that we can prevent that from happening in games, but to have a reaction, to keep our composure and just stay balanced and know that our run was coming… no matter how many runs they did, that we were going to come out of it with a win, that’s what we’re trying to do with our attitude and in our groups.”

Originally published: November 27, 2024 at 9:25 pm EST