The UConn Huskies, coming off of their blowout win against South Carolina, met the Seton Hall Pirates in South Orange, New Jersey. Coach Geno Auriemma, hoping to see that momentum continue, had to wait until the second half before the Huskies shifted into high gear.
UConn started the game somewhat lackluster. The Pirates, however, did not. Seton Hall scored the first five points after UConn turned the ball over on the opening possession. Seton Hall’s defense was in good form in the first few minutes. With the score tied at 10 – 10, the Huskies started to find some shots and went on a 12 – 0 run. The Pirates scored 5 more points, and the quarter ended with UConn up 22 – 15.
The aggressiveness with which UConn played against South Carolina still hadn’t emerged in the second quarter. However, they did begin to widen their lead. UConn’s Aubrey Griffin subbed into the game early in the quarter and brought a boost of energy and drive, a trademark of Griffin’s game. The Huskies started to play with a little more urgency. They slowly widened the gap, holding Seton Hall to 11 points while scoring 19, with a halftime score of 41 – 26.
Paige Bueckers seemed to suffer a minor injury toward the end of the half. She quickly got off the court to have it addressed.
The Second Half Saw More Aggression From UConn
The second half of the game showed what Coach Auriemma had wanted to see in the first half. It was more aggression, better pace, better everything. Bueckers was back on the court at the beginning with no visible problem and scored the first bucket of the third quarter. UConn then went on to build their lead, with Bueckers scoring 10 of her game-leading 23 points. Seton Hall had no answer for the Huskies, who outscored them 30 – 13 in the quarter.
With Bueckers and Azzi Fudd on the bench for the fourth quarter and Kaitlyn Chen joining them after four minutes, the Huskies bench went to work, outscoring the Pirates 20 – 10 to end the game with a 91 – 49 win.
HUSKIES WIN@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/YOnzMYoGGw
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 20, 2025
A noticeable difference for UConn was that Fudd only scored seven points. After some blistering games, Sarah Strong scored 10 points on 4 – 6 shooting, and Jana El Alfy scored only two. However, Griffin scored 15, and Ashlynn Shade 14 off the bench. KK Arnold had a less-than-productive game, scoring only two points on free throws. Bueckers scored 23 and Chen scored 15.
Seton Hall got production from senior I’yanna Lops with 15 points, and Faith Masonius and Jada Eads each scored 12 points. The Seton Hall bench only contributed four points. It’s a problem that coach Anthony Bozzella will need to address to give the Pirates a better chance in the conference tournament.
Up next for the Pirates is a road game at St. John’s on Sunday. The Huskies stay on the road for a game Saturday at Butler.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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