Fudd and Chen scored 17 points each in the Huskies’ victory.
UConn secured its 20th win of the season with a 84-58 victory at DePaul on Wednesday evening.
For perhaps the first time this season, it was not Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong leading the way for UConn. Instead, Azzi Fudd and Kaitlyn Chen paced the team in scoring with 17 points apiece. That’s a positive sign for the Huskies, who have been searching for consistency in their third and fourth scoring options.
Fudd, who had quiet games in each of her last two outings, made four triples and also added five assists. Chen rebounded from 0-6 shooting from deep in Omaha on Sunday, going a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. She was 7-9 from the floor in total and also had three assists.
While overall it wasn’t the Huskies’ prettiest offensive performance, their 57.1 percent shooting from deep was the best mark since the December matchup with Iowa State. Strong also continued to stuff the stat sheet against the Blue Demons, adding 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks for the Huskies. It was a rare off shooting night for Bueckers, but she still added eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. It was only the second game of the season where Bueckers did not reach double figures.
The Huskies’ first half was plagued by sloppiness on the offensive end, including poor shooting and turnovers. UConn looked rushed offensively and gave up the ball four times in the first, including on the last possession of the quarter, taking just a six point lead into the break. Still Strong’s seven points in the first quarter proved enough to give the Huskies an early lead.
UConn went on to start 0-6 from the floor in the second quarter, keeping things close with the Blue Demons. Eventually the Huskies were able to open things up as Chen and Ashlynn Shade drained back-to-back threes on the fastbreak. That seemed to get UConn rolling, and they built the lead up to 40-24 at the half. Fudd led the way at the midway mark with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
UConn kept things going in third, extending its lead to 26 points, behind four made triples in the quarter. That allowed the Huskies to empty their bench in the final quarter, playing all 12 available players.
Aubrey Griffin tallied 13 minutes, the most of her season so far. While it doesn’t necessarily show in the box score, Griffin looked more comfortable on the court than she did against Seton Hall or Villanova, and showed some flashes of her old disruptiveness on the glass.
UConn returns home to take on Butler on Sunday afternoon.