Azzi Fudd leads UConn to statement Feast Week wins

The UConn women’s basketball team has continued its hot start to the season heading into the US holiday week. First, they overcame the challenge of their first top 10 opponent and narrowly escaped with a 72-69 win over No. 6 Michigan. Then, the Huskies beasted their way to a 93-41 victory over Utah. Azzi Fudd led the way for UConn in both wins, scoring 55 points combined between the two games.

Fudd put up her highest point total on the season so far against the Wolverines, with 31 points in Friday’s matchup. When the Huskies nearly blew their 17-point lead, she scored 13 points in the fourth quarter alone and put the team on her back with a personal 9-0 run to keep UConn competitive in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

“I think the only thing going through my mind was to be aggressive,” Fudd said. “[I] knew we needed to get a bucket. I was proud [of] how we stuck together, and we figured it out in the end.”

Fudd didn’t have an easy job thanks to Michigan’s Syla Swords. The two went shot-for-shot throughout the contest as the Wolverines threatened to dethrone the No. 1 seed. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma gave his opinion on the battle between the two stars after the game.

“Those are two of the best shooters in the country playing tonight against each other,” Auriemma said after Friday’s contest. “They both put on quite a show. It’s not easy for them to get those shots, and they seemed to be able to make shots other people had a hard time making.”

Meanwhile, Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico also had nothing but praise for her star sophomore.

“Great back and forth, and I’m glad the country got to see her game on full display. It was incredible,” Arico said. “We’ve seen Syla do that through her time with us. She took over the game. Her playing in the Olympics, her being on that international stage, her playing with her national team — she was leading in every single thing down the stretch.”

Arico and Auriemma have a competitive history with one another, but the legendary UConn boss couldn’t help but give respect where it was due.

“I told Kim before the game [that] I thought this was the best team she ever had,” Auriemma admitted. “They are really, really good.”

Auriemma’s squad is quite impressive itself, though. Fudd followed up this primetime matchup with a dominant 24-point, career-high eight-rebound performance in just three quarters on Sunday versus the Utes. UConn left the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase as the last undefeated team standing, and now Fudd and the Huskies will look to keep the momentum going against Xavier.

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