UConn women’s basketball opened Big East play with a 98-53 win over Providence on Friday night at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies posted their second-biggest winning margin of the season, shooting 61 percent from the floor and 57 percent from three on the night.
Five Huskies reached double numbers in the game and every available player scored. Aubrey Griffin and Lou Lopez-Senechal led the way with 18 points each, with Griffin knocking down 10 boards for his fourth career double-double. Aaliyah Edwards had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double. Azzi Fudd added 16 points.
UConn’s onslaught began from the first point with a 10-0 run. They extended that lead to 21 points at the end of the first quarter. Aubrey Griffin was terrific in transition with ten points in the first quarter just on a perfect shot from the floor. Collectively, the Huskies shot 12-14 in the first ten minutes.
Providence found a few more opportunities on the offensive side in the second quarter, but UConn still took a 29-point lead into the break. Griffin continued to lead all scorers with 15 halftime points, and Azzi Fudd joined her in double figures, with 13 points in the first half. Nika Muhl also had nine assists in the first half alone.
UConn continued to roll in the second half, Lopez-Sénéchal adding 10 of his 18 points in the third quarter. Amari DeBerry and Ines Bettencourt saw action before the end of the third. DeBerry impressed in his minutes, adding six points and seven rebounds in just 13 minutes on the floor. Bettencourt recorded two hat-tricks and added three assists.
Nika Muhl played her fourth straight game with double-digit assists, delivering 12 on the night. Collectively, UConn had 28 assists on 36 field goals for a 78% assisted shooting rate.
Ayanna Patterson also saw a record 20 minutes against the Friars. She notably committed only one fault during this period and added three points, two rebounds, 4 assists and two blocks. Caroline Ducharme, who fully returned to the UConn roster in Portland, also hit a new season high in minutes. Ducharme did a bit of everything for the Huskies, adding 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
UConn returns to action on Sunday afternoon, visiting No. 7 Notre Dame in South Bend. The rivalry match will begin at 3:00 p.m. on ABC.
