VILLANOVA, Pa. — In a commanding performance, the No. 7 ranked UConn women’s basketball team triumphed over Villanova with a score of 83-52 on Sunday, with standout player Paige Bueckers contributing 15 points before unfortunately leaving the game due to a knee injury.
Alongside her scoring, Bueckers also tallied nine assists for the Huskies, who are currently 13-2 overall and boast a 4-0 record in the Big East. The injury occurred with just 1:17 remaining in the third quarter when Bueckers collided with Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe while pursuing a loose ball, causing her left knee to bend at an awkward angle.
Bueckers remained on the court for a minute before she was able to limp off and subsequently went to the locker room. Although she returned to the bench shortly after, she did not continue in the game.
The match started evenly, but UConn quickly built momentum, leading by eight points at the end of the first period. Sarah Strong was a key player for the Huskies, scoring 21 points, 10 of which came in the first quarter alone. By halftime, UConn had established a significant lead, 43-26, over Villanova, which now stands at 7-8 with a 1-2 record in conference play.
Although Villanova narrowed the gap to 47-34 early in the third quarter, UConn responded decisively with a 7-0 run sparked by Azzi Fudd’s five consecutive points.
In terms of takeaways, all attention will now be on Bueckers’ knee, especially considering her previous ACL tear in the same knee in 2022 that kept her off the court for an entire year. Villanova enters a challenging stretch, facing four of their next five games on the road, and they will need to improve their scoring consistency to halt their two-game losing streak.
Notably, Bascoe faced a challenging outing, scoring 12 points but struggling significantly with her shooting, only making 4 of her 17 attempts and missing 10 of her first 11 shots.
A crucial moment in the game came when the score was tied at nine; Bueckers and Strong combined to put seven points on the board, with Villanova unable to come within six points for the remainder of the contest.
Looking ahead, UConn will host Xavier on Wednesday, while Villanova will travel to face Georgetown on the same day.
