The UConn women’s basketball team celebrated its Senior Day Sunday with an 81-38 victory over the Providence Friars at Gampel Pavilion.
Geno Auriemma starts with four healthy seniors: Azzi Fudd, Serah Williams, Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson. This is Patterson’s first career start and Ducharme’s first start since November 19, 2023.
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The Huskies came away with a balanced scoring victory. Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd each scored 13 points, but six other players totaled at least six points. KK Arnold is expected to score a triple-double, delivering a career-high 10 assists, plus a season-high 8 steals and 8 points. Ashlynn Shade also had 10 points, five rebounds and five steals, while Jana El Alfy had a career-high 16 rebounds.
As a team, UConn tied a single-game record with 39 forced turnovers. The Huskies also scored 57 points off the bench and had 26 assists on 32 baskets.
After getting off to slow starts the past two games, UConn has reversed that trend in a big way. Providence scored first and then the Huskies scored 18 more points. The Huskies held the visitors to just two field goals and forced 14 turnovers in the first quarter. At one point the Friars turned the ball over on eight consecutive possessions.
UConn maintained its lead in the second quarter. The Huskies went on a 10-0 run and eventually entered halftime with a 26-point lead.
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After halftime, UConn went on an 8-0 run, extending its lead to 30 points, and then scored 11 points in a row. In the end, the Huskies won by 43 points.
After the game, UConn paid tribute to five seniors: Ford, Ducharme, Williams, Patterson and Ace Brady.
With the victory, the Huskies extended their winning streak to 45 games and improved their season record to 29-0 (18-0 Big East). Next up, they close out their regular season home schedule against Georgetown on Thursday at Peoples Bank Arena. Tip-off times are set for 7 p.m. ET on TNT and truTV.
