WOMENS BASKETBALL

Connecticut 67, Villanova 46

PAT EATON-ROBB
ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORRS, Conn. - Paige Bueckers scored 31 points and Aaliyah Edwards added her 16th double-double of the season as No. 10 UConn beat Villanova 67-46.

Bueckers made 11 of her 15 shots from the floor and Edwards finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the final regular-season home game for Connecticut (25-5, 17-0 Big East). The Huskies had already clinched the regular-season conference title and the top seed in next week’s Big East Tournament.

Kaitlyn Orihel had 15 points and Zanai Jones added 10 for Villanova (17-11, 10-7), which falls into a tie in the loss column with St. John’s and Marquette. The Red Storm clinched the No. 3 seed with Villanova’s loss. The Wildcats and the Golden Eagles will be in the four-five game at the tournament.

Bueckers, who had 16 points by halftime, opened the scoring with a jumper, the Huskies began the game with a 10-2 run and never trailed.

The Huskies led 15-10 after a quarter and 35-24 a the half.

They went up by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but Bueckers also picked up her third and fourth fouls in that frame.

A layup by Villanova’s Bella Runyan cut the deficit to 49-42 early in the fourth quarter, but that would be as close as the Wildcats would get.

A 3-pointer by Ashlynn Shade pushed the lead back to 57-44 and UConn extended the lead from there.

The Huskies held Villanova to just 18 baskets on 58 shots (31% shooting). Wildcats star Lucy Olsen, who came into the game averaging 23.6 points, was held to six points and made just two of her 16 shots.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova: The Wildcats fall to 1-4 against nationally ranked opponents this season. The win came on last month against No. 23 Marquette (66-63). In addition to the two losses against UConn, they have also been beaten twice by No. 21 Creighton.

UConn: Since losing to South Carolina, the Huskies had won four straight games by 20-plus points.

Conecticut athletics press release

February 28, 2024