Fudd leads the way as No 1 UConn rolls past Butler without top scorer and rebounder Sarah Strong

HARTFORD, Conn. — Azzi Fudd scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half as top-ranked UConn rolled to an 80-48 win over visiting Butler on Saturday as the Huskies won their 41st game in a row.

UConn’s sophomore star Sarah Strong, the top scorer and rebounder for the Huskies, missed her first game in her two seasons for the Huskies to rest. Blanca Quinonez, the top-scoring reserve for UConn, and Caroline Ducharme also missed the game. Ziebell made her second start of the season. She matched Arnold with a team-high four steals.

Serah Williams, Ashlynn Shade and Allie Ziebell had 11 points each and KK Arnold finished with 10 points for UConn (25-0, 14-0 Big East). The Huskies won their 62nd consecutive conference regular-season game. All nine available UConn players had at least two field goals.

Caroline Dotsey led Butler (9-15, 3-11) with 13 points. Saniya Jackson had nine points and 12 rebounds and Mallory Miller also had nine points for the Bulldogs.

UConn is 25-0 for the 11th time in program history. The Huskies have won the national championship seven times when opening 25-0. The Huskies also improved to 10-0 against the Bulldogs. UConn is 10-0 against Butler. The average margin of victory in those games is 40.3 points.

Butler, which trailed 26-10 at the end of the first quarter in the first meeting, was only down by five after a layup by Saniya Jackson with 4:48 left in the first quarter. Fudd had five points as the Huskies scored the final nine points of the quarter. Fudd had five points in a 12-0 run in the second quarter. UConn led 44-19 at halftime.

Up next

Butler: Plays at Providence on Wednesday.

UConn: Hosts Creighton on Wednesday.