STORRS, CT – No. 1 UConn turned defense into dominance on Sunday, forcing 23 steals and racing past DePaul 102-35 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies (9-0, 2-0 Big East) extended their Big East regular-season winning streak to 40 games and celebrated Hall of Famer Sue Bird’s jersey retirement with their largest-ever margin of victory over the Blue Demons.
UConn’s relentless pressure produced 15 first-half steals and a 58-18 halftime lead. “We take pride in our defense,” said head coach Geno Auriemma. “When we’re active in the passing lanes and aggressive, it opens up everything for us.”
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Sue Bird’s Legacy and UConn’s Standard
Before tipoff, UConn retired Sue Bird’s iconic No. 10. “You don’t realize it at the time, but Sue’s decision to come to Connecticut changed the trajectory of our program,” Auriemma reflected. “That recruiting class – Sue, Swin, Tamika, Asia – they all worked on each other. Sue was definitely one of the ringleaders. Eventually, it played out into us putting together the best basketball team of all time.”
“Only certain athletes become identified with a number. Now, yeah, you think of Sue and number 10. It’s become iconic,” Auriemma continued. “We haven’t had many number 10s. If you think you’re good enough to wear that number, go ahead, knock yourself out.”
“Every kid that comes here knows Sue Bird,” he added. “It’d be hard not to be affected somehow by having somebody like that in the building. We talked a lot about what it means to be part of this. I think they took it to heart. It’s a special day for UConn basketball.”
Strong, Fudd Set the Tone Early
Freshman Sarah Strong stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, five rebounds, five steals, and four assists. “It’s about setting the tone early,” Strong said. “We wanted to come out aggressive, force turnovers, and play UConn basketball.”
Azzi Fudd poured in all 16 of her points in the first half and swiped four steals, helping UConn start the game on a 14-0 run. “We were locked in from the jump,” Fudd said. “Our energy and focus were great, and it showed on both ends.”
“Sometimes I marvel at how Sarah and Azzi get the shots they get,” Auriemma said. “A lot of it has to do with their talent, their understanding of our offense, how to get open, and the fact that they’re not limited to one spot on the floor. What means most to me is how efficient they are in what they do.”
Kayleigh Heckel added 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Jana El Alfy chipped in a season-high 11 points off the bench. KK Arnold tallied seven points and seven assists as UConn shot 63.5% from the field and 66.7% from three (8-for-12).
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Defensive Masterclass, Historic Margin
The Huskies’ 23 steals marked their third game this season with at least 20. UConn scored 52 points off turnovers and 60 in the paint, holding DePaul (2-8, 0-2) to just 27.1% shooting and four fourth-quarter points.
“We wanted to make a statement on defense,” said Strong. “That’s our identity.”
“We’ve made a lot more threes these last few games,” Auriemma noted. “It’s just a matter of percentage—you shoot enough, and they’re all really good shots, eventually they all start going in. Today was just not as difficult to score in other ways. When we’re playing fast and get a lot of transition buckets, it’s going to look like this.”
This was UConn’s 27th straight win over DePaul and its largest margin of victory in the series, surpassing a 47-point win in 2013. The Huskies’ bench contributed 48 points, and eight different players recorded at least one steal.
Development and Depth
“You get a lot of minutes for players who don’t always play a ton—today was one of the better days,” Auriemma said. “Second half, that group looked really, really good. The challenge is always finding the right combinations, but they did a great job.”
DePaul’s Effort
Gina Davorija and Devin Hagemann led DePaul with eight points each. Ally Timm hit back-to-back threes in the second quarter, but UConn’s defense never relented.
By the Numbers
- UConn: 102 points, 63.5% FG, 66.7% 3PT, 23 steals, 52 points off turnovers, 60 points in the paint, 40-game Big East win streak
- Sarah Strong: 20 pts, 5 reb, 5 stl, 4 ast
- Azzi Fudd: 16 pts (all first half), 4 stl
- Kayleigh Heckel: 16 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast
- Jana El Alfy: 11 pts (season high)
- KK Arnold: 7 pts, 7 ast
- DePaul: 35 points, 27.1% FG, 28.6% 3PT, 32 turnovers
Up Next
UConn continues Big East play next week, looking to keep its perfect record intact.
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