Coming into a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the UConn Huskies took the floor for their final road game of the season to face the Butler Bulldogs. Several things happened that were noteworthy; Paige Bueckers finished with a double-double of 23 points and 10 assists, the third quarter saw UConn take their foot off the gas and allow Butler a chance, albeit small, to play some decent ball, and finally, the long-awaited return of UConn’s Caroline Ducharme.
The game started slowly, with Butler scoring first, but after Bueckers made a jump shot to tie the game at 6 – 6, Butler never had another lead. The Huskies then did what they do; dominated the first half of the game with good offense, forced 11 of Butler’s 22 turnovers, and held Butler to 17 total points for the half to their 42.
Then came the third quarter. UConn looked sluggish and allowed Butler the opportunity to make some headway. Butler outscored UConn 25 – 22, and even though the UConn lead was still substantial, going into the fourth quarter with a 22-point lead was of concern because of how well Butler had played in the third. However, the fourth quarter proved to be the first half Huskies, who outscored Butler 22 – 5, winning the game 86 – 47.
HUSKIES WIN@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/9Glk9uGvag
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 22, 2025
A Long-Awaited Return For UConn
The cheers rose when, with two minutes left in the game, Ducharme subbed in. Ducharme had missed quite a few games due to head injuries. Four games into the 2023-24 season, she was out again, this time for the entire season. While only being on the court for a few minutes, Ducharme can become a reliable contributor if she stays healthy. Her return will mostly likely be restricted minutes, but, for the Huskies, hopefully very productive minutes.
Butler, like many other teams, is dealing with injuries. They made the best of it but could not match UConn’s defense and relentlessness. They were outscored on turnovers, giving up 31 points and scoring only five off of UConn’s 8 turnovers. Kilyn McGuff and Lily Zeinstra each scored 13 points for Butler.
Aside from Bueckers, UConn had four other players in double figures, with Sarah Strong scoring 16, Ashlynn Shade with 14, and both Kaitlyn Chen and Azzi Fudd with 10. Shade, who is from Noblesville, Indiana, had her cheering section, making it a homecoming game for her. And even though it was a home game for Butler, the crowd was decidedly a UConn crowd.
Also, UConn freshman Morgan Cheli will miss the remainder of the season due to ankle surgery.
Butler will play its final regular season game on the road against Villanova on Wednesday. UConn returns home for their final two games, facing Creighton on Thursday and Marquette on Sunday.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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