Fudd's 34 points, 8 3-pointers powers UConn past Syracuse and into Sweet 16 for 32nd straight time
Azzi Fudd scored 26 of her 34 points in the first half in her final game at Gampel Pavilion and UConn used a 31-0 run to roll to a 98-45 win over Syracuse on Monday night to advance to the women’s NCAA Tournament ‘s Sweet 16 for the 32nd season in a row.
Fudd tied her career highs in points and 3-pointers and added five assists and four steals. Her eight 3-pointers are one short of the NCAA Tournament single-game record held by Purdue’s Courtney Moses, UConn’s Kia Nurse and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
Sarah Strong had 18 points and nine rebounds as UConn (36-0) won its 52nd consecutive game. Blanca Quinonez added 18 points for UConn, which led 33-8 after one quarter and 65-12 at halftime as the Huskies advance to play North Carolina in the Fort Worth 1 regional semifinal on Friday.
Uche Izoje scored 12 points and Sophie Burrows had 10 for ninth-seeded Syracuse (24-9), which topped Iowa State in the first round.
Syracuse missed 10 shots in a row in the first half and went nearly 10 1/2 minutes without a basket during one stretch in the first half.
UConn, which has been ranked first in the AP poll all season, heads into the Fort Worth 1 regional, undefeated once again. UConn won its 52nd straight NCAA tournament game at Gampel Pavilion and 44th in a row in Connecticut.
Up next
UConn will face North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time. The Tar Heels won 81-69 en route to winning the national title in 1994.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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