March Madness 2022: Azzi Fudd helps UConn advance over UCF

UConn coach Geno Auriemma famous Monday evening that basketball is a contact sport — one thing that was evident after the Huskies outfought UCF in what might have been a UFC match.

Freshman Azzi Fudd scored 16 factors and hit two key free throws late as No. 2 seed Connecticut outfought No. 7 seed UCF 52-47 in a defensive slugfest to an NCAA file twenty eighth straight Candy 16.

“This was a moderately new expertise for me,” Auriemma stated. “It was what we thought it could be. It was going to be actually tough and it was going to be ugly trying and it was.”

“We might have simply let that sport get away from us and we didn’t,” he stated.

Christyn Williams added 12 factors and Paige Bueckers had 9 for the Huskies (27-5), who haven’t allowed an opponent to attain greater than 51 factors of their final 10 video games.

The sport was extraordinarily bodily, with each groups urgent and enjoying lock-down protection. There have been 45 fouls referred to as, 24 on UCF.

“It was a battle the entire sport,” Williams stated. “We simply tried to throw the primary punch and maintain punching them.”

Diamond Battles scored 12 factors, Brittney Smith added 11 and Tay Sanders had 10 for UCF (26-4), which noticed its season finish together with a 14-game successful streak.

These two former American Athletic Convention foes knew one another properly and the Knights weren’t intimidated enjoying in entrance of a loud sold-out Connecticut crowd the place the scholars have been cheering baskets made in pregame warmups.

UCF jumped out to an 11-4 lead early and led by eight factors within the first half.

The Huskies fought again, led by three at halftime and prolonged that to 12 factors halfway by way of the fourth quarter.

They led by 10 earlier than Sanders 3-pointer from the left nook with 3 1/2 minutes remaining made it 48-41 and began the Knight’s remaining push.

UCF closed the hole to 3 factors twice, the final time when Williams fouled Smith with 15.1 seconds left and the 6-foot-3 put up hit her foul photographs to chop the deficit to 50-47.

However Sanders fouled Fudd on the opposite finish and the freshman calmly made her free throws to seal the win.

The Knights held UConn to simply 14 baskets on 48 photographs (29.2%), however hit simply 16 of their 46 (34.8%). UCF additionally struggled from the foul line, going simply 10 of 20.

BIG PICTURE

UCF: The Knights have had essentially the most profitable season in class historical past, successful the AAC common season and event titles, incomes their first High 25 rating, notching their first NCAA Match win and beating in-state rival Florida for the primary time ever after 26 straight losses. Monday’s loss was the Knights first in 15 video games.

“Our workforce is wonderful,” coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson stated. We completed so many targets.”

“I instructed them maintain your head up. You might be warriors. You’re a nice workforce. You deserved, sorry, a greater place to go play.”

UConn: UConn, which beat mercer 83-38 within the first spherical, improves to 18-3 as a No. 2 seed and 29-2 all-time within the second spherical, the place they final misplaced in 1992. They fell within the first spherical a 12 months later. The Huskies transfer on the Candy 16, the place they haven’t misplaced since falling to Stanford in 2005.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Auriemma stated it is clear Bueckers will not be capable to return this season to the shape she confirmed final 12 months. Bueckers has performed seven video games since coming back from a left knee damage in early December that stored her out for properly over two months. She performed 32 minutes on Monday evening — eight greater than she did on Saturday within the first spherical win.

“These moments that she has which are actually, actually good, I am glad, I am thrilled for her,” he stated. “However, there’s nonetheless lots happening out on the court docket that you could see that is not the identical participant that we noticed all of final 12 months. However having her on the court docket clearly advantages us in so some ways.”

ROCK FIGHT

The banging began early, with Aaliyah Edwards and Diamond Battles diving out of bounds and pushing one another to get to a free ball. Later within the first half, Bueckers and Sanders battled one another for a tie-up and stored combating lengthy after the whistle blew, prompting the UConn’s star to sign the coed part to make some noise.

“We have been anticipating it to be bodily, however I do not assume they have been anticipating us to be as bodily,” Battles stated. “We got here out and did what we do finest. The toughness, that is what we’re. That is who we’re.”

The 52 factors was the second fewest the Huskies have had this season. They misplaced 57-44 the sport to Georgia Tech the sport after Bueckers went down together with her damage.

UP NEXT

UConn will face Indiana in Bridgeport on Saturday. The third-seeded Hoosiers beat Princeton 56-55 on Monday evening.