The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team can beat you many different ways, as evidenced by the defending champion’s wire-to-wire 85-51 win over the South Florida Bulls on Tuesday.
The No. 1 Huskies can beat you with their balanced scoring and depth, finishing with four players in double-digits. Sophomore forward Sarah Strong led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes, followed by Blanca Quinonez (13 points), Azzi Fudd (10 points, two steals) and Ashlynn Shade (10 points).
UConn can also beat you on the defensive end. The Huskies held the Bulls to 51 points (their second-lowest total this season) and forced South Florida into 20 turnovers (tied for a season-high) at Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday. The Huskies scored 26 points off the Bulls’ turnovers.
“There’s not a box they do not check,” ESPN analyst and former UConn star Rebecca Lobo on Tuesday. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma added he ‘didn’t have a whole lot to complain about’ after the impressive win.
The Huskies improve to 8-0 on the season and UConn is 35-0 all-time against South Florida with the win. The Bulls dropped their first home game and fall to 5-4 on the season.
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates and highlights from Tuesday’s matchup. Catch up below:
End of 3Q: Huskies 65, South Florida 29
South Florida turned in their best quarter of the game, scoring 13 points the frame. The Bulls are still trailing the UConn Huskies by 36 points heading into the fourth quarter.
UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong has already recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, her fourth double-double in eight games. Strong is one of four UConn players in double-digits: Blanca Quinonez (13 points), Azzi Fudd (10 points) and Ashlynn Shade (10 points).
No Bulls players has reached double-digits yet. Senior forward L’or Mputu has a team-high eight points, while senior forward Carla Brito added five points.
Halftime: UConn 48, South Florida 16
UConn held South Florida to six points in the second quarter and have a 34-point halftime lead over the Bulls. Four different players have scored eight or more points for the Huskies, including Blanca Quinonez (13 points), Sarah Strong (10 points), Azzi Fudd (eight points) and Ashlynn Shade (six points).
The Huskies have shined from the 3-point line, shooting 8-of-16 from beyond the arc. And UConn’s defense has been impenetrable thus far. The Huskies have forced the Bulls into 12 turnovers, which the defending champions converted into 19 points.
Senior forward L’or Mputu has a team-high six points for South Florida, who is collectively shooting 6-of-27 (22%) from the field and 0-of-8 from the 3-point line. The Bulls are outrebounding the Huskies 20-17, including 6-2 offensive boards, but they must get some stops and make the most of their second chance opportunities to get back into the game.
End of Q1: UConn 29, South Florida 10
It’s raining 3-pointers in Tampa, Florida. Two days after UConn shot 50% from beyond the arc in the team’s 104-39 win over Xavier, the Huskies opened Tuesday’s game against South Florida shooting 5-of-8 (63%) from the 3-point line and 65% from the field. Blanca Quinonez (eight points) and Ashlynn Shade (six points) have each made two 3-pointers, while Sarah Strong (five points) made the other. Azzi Fudd added eight points.
The Bulls have not made a shot from beyond the arc (0-of-3) and are shooting a dismal 23% from the field. The Huskies pressure has also resulted in five Bulls turnovers. L’or Mputu has a team-high six points.
UConn has early lead after perfect start
UConn came out on a mission against South Florida on Tuesday. Ashlynn Shade got the Huskies on the board with a 3-pointer, one of four consecutive buckets made by the Huskies to build a quick 10-0 lead.
The Huskies started out 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the 3-point line, while the Bulls opened 0-of-3 from the field and 0-of-1 from 3. South Florida responded with a jolt of their own to come within eight points with 4:58 remaining in the first quarter.
UConn’s Azzi Fudd leads all scorers with six points in five minutes.
South Florida is already up to three turnovers.
What time is UConn vs. Louisville?
The UConn Huskies travel to Tampa, Florida to take on the South Florida Bulls on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. PT) ET at the Yuengling Center.
UConn vs. South Florida: TV, streaming
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 2
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT)
Location: Yuengling Center (Tampa, Florida)
TV: ESPN2
Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited
UConn Huskies starting lineup
(2) KK Arnold
(12) Ashlynn Shade
(21) Sarah Strong
(22) Serah Williams
(35) Azzi Fudd
South Florida Bulls starting lineup
Head coach: Michele Woods-Baxter (interim)
(1) Katie Davidson
(11) Kirsten Lewis-Williams
(13) Stefanie Ingram
(21) L’or Mputu
(55) Carla Brito
UConn women’s basketball roster
UConn women’s basketball TV schedule
Here’s a look at the Huskies’ upcoming schedule:
South Florida women’s basketball roster
2026 WNBA mock draft: UConn’s Azzi Fudd vaults to No. 1 spot
When the 2026 WNBA draft kicks off on Monday, April 13, 2026, all eyes will turn to the Dallas Wings, who own the No. 1 overall pick. Unlike last year, when it was widely known Paige Bueckers was going to be the top pick, there isn’t a consensus No. 1 pick for 2026.
Will it be Spain center Awa Fam? Will it be UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd? Could TCU Horned Frogs guard Olivia Miles or UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts be the choice? Or will it be a selection that sends shockwaves through the basketball landscape? Check out Meghan Hall’s 2026 WNBA mock draft here.
From facing to fueling UConn: Kayleigh Heckel’s seamless transition
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. That may not be exactly how sophomore Kayleigh Heckel ended up playing for No. 1-ranked UConn, but it is true that she finished her freshman season at USC with a loss to the team she ended up joining after entering the transfer portal.
‘My last game at USC was against UConn,’ Heckel said in a video posted by UConn prior to the season. ‘The stakes were high, was the Elite Eight game, so excited to to be on this side now.’
South Florida longtime head coach hired by Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings hired longtime University of South Florida head coach Jose Fernandez in October. Fernandez spent 25 seasons at the helm of the Bulls women’s basketball team before transitioning to the WNBA and will be succeed by interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter at South Florida.
Fernandez will take over a Wings team that finished 10-34 last season, tied for last place in the WNBA standings with the Chicago Sky, despite a sensational Rookie of the Year campaign from the Wings 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.4% from the floor, 33.1% from the 3-point line and 88.8% from the free throw line.
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