HARTFORD, Conn. — In an impressive season opener on Thursday night, the No. 2 ranked UConn women’s basketball team dominated Boston University, coming away with an 86-32 victory. Freshman Jana El Alfy made a significant impact, scoring 17 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Another standout was Sarah Strong, also a freshman, who matched El Alfy’s scoring output with 17 points and contributed six steals to the team’s defensive effort.
The seasoned players made notable contributions as well. Paige Bueckers registered 13 points, in addition to seven assists and five steals, while Ashlynn Shade added ten points to the scoreboard for the Huskies.
UConn established control early in the game, going on runs of 11-0 and 15-0 before the Terriers managed to hit their second field goal. Boston University’s offense found a rhythm in the third quarter when Alex Giannaros sank two 3-pointers, leading BU to a brief stretch of nine unanswered points. Despite the setback, Giannaros emerged as the Terriers’ top scorer with 13 points.
The Huskies began the contest without several key players, including Caroline Ducharme, Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin, and Ayanna Patterson. Notably, Fudd participated in warm-ups, indicating she is nearing a comeback after being sidelined for the season with a knee injury, having only played in two games this season.
In terms of individual performance, it was Sisi Bentley, a sophomore guard hailing from Hartford, who kicked off the scoring for the Terriers with the team’s first four points.
For UConn, this marked their 29th consecutive season opener victory. Their last opening loss occurred in 1995 against Louisiana Tech, where they fell 83-81 in overtime.
A key moment came right at the beginning of the game when UConn scored the first 11 points, all derived from turnovers forced against Boston University. Overall, the Huskies tallied up 15 steals and scored 28 points off turnovers during the first half.
In a display of strong team performance, all ten available players for UConn scored in the first half, with Strong leading the group with 12 points.
Looking ahead, Boston University is set to face Emmanuel College on Tuesday, while UConn will face off against South Florida on Sunday.