The Connecticut No. 2 outplayed the Central Florida No. 7 at home on Monday in a 52-47 victory in the Bridgeport Region. In what was considered a defensive struggle and played according to that form, freshman quarterback and former St. John’s High star Azzi Fudd missed nine of 13 shots but led all scorers with 16 points for the U-Conn.
Fudd hit all four of her free throws, including a pair that nearly sealed the win in the closing seconds, and Connecticut’s relative performance in that regard as a team may have made the difference on Monday. The Huskies got off the streak 18 out of 23, while the Knights only hit 10 out of 20.
With her team down three with 23 seconds left, UCF’s Brittney Smith missed a free throw and then grappled twice on the second try as the Knights were called for a lane violation. This sequence came after U-Conn. missed most of the 12-point lead he had gained five minutes before the game.
American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Diamond Battles led his team with 12 points, while Smith came off the bench to add 11 points. Senior quarterback Christine Williams scored 12 points for the Huskies. In her seventh game after a knee injury that cost her most of the regular season, Paige Buekers of Connecticut played 32 minutes and scored nine points on 4-of-9 shooting.
The victory marked a record 28th straight win for the Huskies in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They have not missed the opportunity to get into the Sweet 16 since 1992.
UCF who went 0-13 against U-Conn. while the latter program was in the AAC from 2013 to 2020, it won its first tournament game on Saturday in a statewide showdown with Florida. The Knights entered Monday’s game leading the nation’s defense, dropping just 47.6 points per game. Connecticut ranked 10th with an allowable 53.6 points.
The Huskies would then take on number three in Indiana.