Fudd and Strong dominate as No. 7 UConn rolls past Xavier without All-American guard Paige Bueckers.

Hartford, Connecticut (AP) - Azzi Fudd scored 18 of her 23 points in the first half as top-ranked UConn dominated Xavier 81-27 on Wednesday night.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma believed there's a possibility that Bueckers could be back in action next week.

Allie Ziebell scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half for the Huskies.

Irune Orio led Xavier (5-10, 0-4) with 10 points.

The Musketeers, who didn't score their 10th point until 26 seconds remained in the first half, suffered their consecutive loss to Big East teams, 45th in a row. Xavier trailed 43-10 at that point.

Takeaways

Xavier: The Musketeers fell to 0-9 against UConn. In eight Big East matchups against UConn, the Musketeers have lost by at least 36 points seven out of eight times.

UConn: Fudd scored her high point total of the season in the first game without Bueckers. Her previous season-high was 18 points in victories over Ole Miss and Louisville.

Key moment

Connecticut already had a nine-point edge before Strong scored eight points and Fudd scored five during a 15-0 streak, putting the Huskies up 30-6.

Key stat

The Huskies gained 36 points compared to just 4 for Xavier through the first three quarters as a result of the turnovers. In the first half, the Huskies got more loose balls that resulted in points than Xavier did in total points.

Up next

The Musketeers will be playing a home game against St. John's on Saturday. UConn will be playing a game at Georgetown on Saturday.

https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball