Azzi Fudd had 18 of her 23 points in the first half as No. 7 UConn rolled to an 81-27 win over Xavier on Wednesday night.

Sarah Strong added 15 points — all in the first half — with seven rebounds and five steals for UConn (14-2, 5-0 Big East). UConn played without leading scorer Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s win over Villanova. There is no timetable for her return, but UConn coach Geno Auriemma thought there was a chance Bueckers could return next week.

Allie Ziebell had 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 were left in the first half, lost their 45th straight Big East game. Xavier trailed 43-10 at that point.

Takeaways

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

UConn: Fudd had her season-high in points in the first game without Bueckers. Fudd’s previous season-high was 18 points in wins over ranked Ole Miss and Louisville teams.

Key moment

UConn was already in command with a nine-point lead before Strong had eight points and Fudd five during a 15-0 run to put the Huskies up 30-6.

Key stat

UConn outscored Xavier 36-4 in points off the turnovers through the first three quarters. The Huskies had more steals than Xavier had points in the first half.

Up next

The Musketeers play at home against St. John’s on Saturday.

UConn plays at Georgetown on Saturday.

An endangered rabbit can be found in seven towns in Maine, two more than just six years ago, and the number of colonies has more than doubled to 46 known sites in that time, according to the state’s small mammal biologist.

The native New England cottontail rabbit, which is on the Endangered Species list, is found in southern Maine, but its non-native invasive species cousin the Eastern cottontail is rapidly gaining ground, said Cory Stearns, small mammal biologist.

The two species eat similar foods, the main difference being where they live. Easterns will live closer to people under decks or porches or other human structures and are less timid about open space. That allows them to proliferate in areas where the native species won’t because they prefer to hide in bushes and thickets.

The concern is that the Easterns will dominate, making it harder for the New Englands to rebound, Stearns said. Because of that and the state’s ongoing research and monitoring program, biologists are asking Maine residents to report any sightings of the two species of rabbits.

It’s difficult to tell them apart, but often the Eastern cottontail will have a white spot on its forehead. It also has bigger eyes that give them more side vision, he said.

It’s much easier to tell them apart from snowshoe hares in the winter. Snowshoes turn white, allowing them to hide in plain sight on the snow, while rabbits are brown year-round, Stearns said.

The New England cottontail saw its highest numbers in the 1960s when there were a lot of abandoned farms that provided thickets for hiding places. As the forest grew up and matured around those areas, the bushes and hidey-holes disappeared.

It now can be found in Cape Elizabeth, York, Wells, Scarborough, Kittery, Eliot and Kennebunk.

The low point was in 2018, when there were only 21 sites populated by the New England rabbits. The Easterns were first spotted in Maine in 2017 in Portland, Old Orchard Beach, the Berwicks and Wells.

The scientists collect rabbit feces, called pellets, for genetic testing to determine which species is inhabiting a space. They also can figure out how many individuals are in a colony.

If you want to help out by reporting a rabbit sighting, fill in this form on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website.