NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The UConn women’s basketball team dominated Oregon State wire-to-wire with a 71-52 victory at the Baha Mar Women’s Championship tournament on Monday.
The No. 2 Huskies (5-0) will advance to face No. 18 Ole Miss (4-1) in the championship game on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., FloHoops) after the Rebels handled Boston College 92-55 in their first game.
The victory was a balanced offensive effort from UConn, led by superstar Paige Bueckers with 23 points shooting 9-for-13 from the field. The fifth-year senior also finished with a team-high six assists. Freshman Sarah Strong joined Bueckers in double-digits with 13 points, shooting 5-for-10, and she again approached a double-double with eight rebounds plus six steals. Redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy also logged 12 points going 6-for-11.
Bueckers took over the game early for UConn, scoring 11 points and shooting 100% from the field in the first quarter. Bueckers jumpstarted an 8-0 run with a deep 3-pointer that ended a three-minute scoring drought for the Huskies midway through the first, and she added an assist to Ashlynn Shade for a corner 3-pointer on the next possession. Bueckers then made a steal and dished another assist to Kaitlyn Chen for an easy layup.
El Alfy checked in off the bench with three minutes left in the first quarter and made an immediate impact for the Huskies. She made a critical block moments after entering the game against 6-foot-5 Beavers forward Kelsey Rees, and she had six points at halftime that all came on jump shots. Redshirt sophomore Ice Brady controlled the boards for the Huskies early with five in the first half, and freshman Sarah Strong was close behind with five points and four rebounds.
UConn’s young post players were at a substantial size disadvantage up against Rees and 6-7 center Sela Heide, but the Huskies’ defensive performance significantly limited their impact in the first half. Rees had six points at halftime but none in the paint with both of her made field goals coming from 3-point range, while Heide attempted only a single shot and had zero first-half points.
The Huskies’ offense also negated Oregon State’s size with an elite shooting start. UConn went 8-for-16 on 3-pointers in the first half led by Bueckers hitting 3-of-4, and freshman Allie Ziebell drained back-to-back threes in her first five minutes on the court in the second quarter to give the Huskies a 42-19 lead at halftime.
Oregon State came out more aggressive in the third quarter with an early steal-and-score by Kennedie Shuler, but UConn answered with a relentless 7-0 run that started on a fast-break assist from Strong to El Alfy. Strong then drained her second 3-pointer from the corner, and Bueckers made a steal off the Beavers’ inbounds pass that she instantly put back for a layup.
UConn’s shooting cooled off significantly in the third quarter, and the Huskies had to lean even more on their defense to preserve their lead. The team went a combined 1-for-8 from 3-point range and shot just 33% from the field, only outscoring Oregon State 13-12. Strong was a bright spot for the Huskies in the third, making the team’s lone 3-pointer and grabbing three rebounds after she had four in the entire first half.
Azzi Fudd, playing just her second game back from an ACL tear suffered last season, found a rhythm with Bueckers in the fourth with the pair connecting on three straight plays for a 7-2 run in the opening minutes.
Fudd, known as an elite 3-point shooter, hit her first shot from beyond the arc this season on an assist from Bueckers, and the superstar point guard threw up both arms with three fingers outstretched, grinning ear to ear as the shot fell. Fudd didn’t pause to celebrate though, recovering a bad pass turnover by the Beavers and dishing her second assist to Bueckers on the next possession.
Bueckers and Fudd checked out shortly after Fudd made her 3-pointer, and the Huskies struggled to find production going nearly three minutes without a field goal. Brady ended the drought with a turnaround jump shot, but UConn allowed the Beavers to finish on a 9-0 run.
