NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The UConn women’s basketball team had an imperfect performance in Wednesday’s matchup against No. 18 Ole Miss, but the Huskies responded to an ugly third quarter with a late rally to win the Baha Mar Women’s Championship 73-60.
The victory was the No. 2 Huskies’ second over a ranked opponent this season. Superstar Paige Bueckers, who was named the tournament MVP, powered UConn with 29 points shooting 11-for-17 from the field, and she also added four rebounds, four assists, a block and three steals. Redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy was also hugely impactful for the Huskies against arguably the toughest post matchups she has faced, logging eight points, a team-high nine rebounds, a steal and a block in just 20 minutes on the floor.
Ole Miss brought aggressive defensive pressure from the opening whistle, dropping double teams onto Bueckers almost immediately in the first quarter, but the Huskies adapted quickly to the physicality. Bueckers still managed to find openings, leading the team with seven points in the first quarter, though she was slightly less efficient than usual going 3-for-7 from the field. Freshman Sarah Strong also stepped up as a powerful paint presence for the Huskies early with six points and three rebounds, and neither she or Bueckers came off the floor in the opening quarter.
UConn quickly opened up a double-digit lead in the first behind a stifling defensive effort — and an abysmal shooting performance from Ole Miss. The Rebels were held to just five field goals in the entire first half, and three came from 3-point range. The Huskies controlled the paint on both ends of the floor with 30 of 37 first-half points coming in the lane, and three different players logged blocks. UConn also forced eight turnovers and scored six points off of them while allowing just two points off of their six turnovers to the Rebels.
Star guard Azzi Fudd had her best offensive performance since returning from an ACL and meniscus tear suffered last season, scoring six points in the second quarter alone including four in a row that powered an 8-0 run for the Huskies. UConn dominated the second quarter outscoring Ole Miss 18-10, and they held the Rebels to an abysmal 16.7% from the field.
But Ole Miss refused to back down, exploding into the third quarter with an 20-4 run over the first five minutes powered by a slew of turnovers by the Huskies. UConn gave up seven turnovers in seven minutes during the Rebels’ run, and Ole Miss capitalized with a dramatic improvement in their shooting. The Huskies allowed 13 points off of turnovers in the third quarter alone, while the Rebels hit 60% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range.
Fudd was the savior for UConn’s offense, ending the third-quarter scoring drought with her first 3-pointer of the game. She logged seven consecutive points to reopen the Huskies’ lead, and 12 of her 18 points came after halftime. Fudd finished 8-for-11 from the field and was second on the team in scoring only to Bueckers. The backcourt duo combined for 27 of UConn’s 36 points in the second half, and both were selected to the all-tournament team.
Turnovers continued to plague the Huskies in the fourth quarter, but Ole Miss couldn’t maintain its third quarter offensive efficiency. UConn finished with 18 total turnovers — by far a season-worst — that resulted in 17 points for the Rebels, but the Huskies found an answer to every Ole Miss basket. They dominated the boards in the fourth quarter, out-rebounding the Rebels 9-4, and UConn shot 72.7% from the field to Ole Miss’s 31.3%.
