UConn women’s basketball handles Duke, 78-50

Nov 26, 2022 - 1:06 AM

UConn women’s basketball had no trouble in the opening round of the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament, defeating the Duke Blue Devils, 78-50.

Lou Lopez Sénéchal led the Huskies with a season-high 23 points while Aaliyah Edwards notched her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Azzi Fudd racked up 14 points while Nika Mühl dished out 10 assists.

The Huskies won the rebounding battle 42-26 and out-scored Duke in the paint, 30-12.

After a slow start where both teams managed just one basket in the first two minutes, UConn built an early 11-6 lead only to have Duke battle back to tie the game at 13. From there, the Huskies closed the quarter on a 10-1 run courtesy of a reverse layup and two free throws by Mühl as well as a pair of 3-pointers from Lopez Sénéchal and Fudd.

UConn struggled to extend the lead in the second quarter and went into the half up by 14. The Blue Devils kept themselves in the game by making five 3-pointers in the first half after coming in averaging just under three triples per game.

The Huskies sprinted out of the gates to start the second half. Two straight jumpers from Edwards followed by another 3-pointer from Lopez Sénéchal put UConn on a 7-0 run to start the half and forced Duke into a quick timeout. The Blue Devils responded with points on back-to-back possessions but that only temporarily stopped the bleeding. The Huskies went on another run — this time 6-0 — to extend the lead past 20 points.

It only got worse for Duke in the fourth quarter. UConn scored 14 unanswered points over a span of five minutes to put the game away for good and earn the 28-point victory. The Blue Devils managed just seven points in the final period.

Next, the Huskies will play in the championship game of the Phil Knight Legacy on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against the winner of No. 9 Iowa and Oregon State.