HARTFORD, Conn. — On Sunday, Paige Bueckers led No. 6 UConn to a commanding victory over Butler, scoring 16 of her 18 points in the opening half during a 101-59 blowout. This win extended the Huskies’ impressive Big East regular-season winning streak to 32 consecutive games.
Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade contributed significantly with 13 points each, while KK Arnold displayed perfect shooting, tallying 12 points on 6-of-6 attempts along with four steals. Sarah Strong also had a solid performance, finishing the game with 11 points, five rebounds, and four blocked shots for UConn (21-2, 2-0). On the other side, Kilyn McGuff led Butler (12-12, 2-9) with 17 points, while Riley Makalusky added 10.
The Huskies started the game strong, hitting their first six shots and finishing the first half with a dominant 59-26 lead. They maintained an impressive shooting percentage of 68% after three quarters. However, in the final period, UConn struggled to maintain that momentum, as Bueckers, Fudd, Strong, and Kaitlyn Chen sat out, leaving Jana El Alfy as the only starter in action.
In notable achievements, McGuff reached a personal milestone, scoring her 1,000th career point with a 3-pointer just seconds into the second half. This score included 723 points accumulated during her three seasons at Belmont, in addition to 283 points scored within 24 games at Butler.
UConn continued to dominate in the Big East, winning all 12 conference matches this season by a minimum of 11 points. Their average victory margin in the league stands at a staggering 33.7 points, indicative of their strong performance.
A key moment in the game occurred when UConn matched its season high in points after a pair of free throws by Aubrey Griffin, sealing the score at 101.
Statistically, during the first half, Butler managed to score only 26 points, while UConn capitalized on 15 turnovers by the Bulldogs, scoring 25 points as a result.
Looking ahead, Butler is set to host Villanova on Wednesday, while UConn will face No. 18 Tennessee on Thursday.
