NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The UConn women’s basketball team dominated Oregon State with a 71-52 victory in the Baha Mar Women’s Championship tournament on Monday.

The No. 2 Huskies (5-0) will face No. 18 Ole Miss (4-1) in the championship game on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., FloHoops) after the Rebels defeated Boston College 92-55 in the first game have won the game.

The win was a balanced offensive performance from UConn, led by superstar Paige Bueckers’ 23 points, shooting 9 of 13 from the field. The fifth-grader also finished the game with a team-high six assists. Freshman Sarah Strong joined Bueckers in double figures with 13 points, shooting 5 of 10 and approaching a double-double again with eight rebounds plus six steals and two blocks. Redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy also scored 12 points on 6 of 11.

“Whatever we set out to do, I think we accomplished it, and for 30 minutes I thought we had a really, really fun time playing basketball,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “I think there are combinations that, when we bring them to market, are a little tricky. They’re not sure, they’re uncomfortable with each other, but that will improve as the season goes on. Game five against a team that really wants to dictate the tempo and slow it down, I thought it was pretty good.”

Bueckers took control of the game early for UConn, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and shooting 100% from the field. Bueckers started an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer from deep that ended the Huskies’ three-minute scoring drought midway through the first period, and assisted Ashlynn Shade with a 3-pointer in the corner on the next possession . Bueckers then made a steal and provided another assist to Kaitlyn Chen for an easy layup.

El Alfy came off the bench three minutes before the end of the first quarter and made an immediate impact for the Huskies. Shortly after entering the game, she made a crucial block on 6-foot-10 Beavers forward Kelsey Rees and had six points at halftime, all of which came from jump shots. Redshirt sophomore Ice Brady controlled the Huskies’ boards early with five points in the first half, and Strong was close behind with five points and four rebounds.

UConn’s young post players were at a significant size disadvantage compared to Rees and 6-7 center Sela Heide, but the Huskies’ defensive performance significantly limited their impact in the first half. Rees had six points at halftime, but none in the game as she made both field goals from 3-point range, while Heide attempted just one shot and had zero points in the first half.

“We had a hard time getting deep position the whole game,” Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said. “They did a good job beating us by points. I think they had a speed advantage over us. In the second half we managed to get the ball a little further to Kelsey Rees, not necessarily deep, although she made plays… and I thought that was good for us, but the bottom line is it was difficult to get the right position to find. They did a really good job.”

The Huskies’ offense also negated Oregon State’s greatness with an elite shooting start. UConn shot 8 of 16 on 3-pointers in the first half, led by Bueckers’ 3 of 4 shooting, and freshman Allie Ziebell hit back-to-back three-pointers in her first five minutes on the court in the second quarter. The Huskies led 42 at halftime: 19.

Oregon State came out more aggressive in the third quarter with an early steal-and-score from Kennedie Shuler, but UConn responded with a relentless 7-0 run that began with a fast-break assist from Strong to El Alfy. Strong then sank her second 3-pointer from the corner, and Bueckers made a steal on the Beavers’ inbounds pass, which she immediately returned for a layup.

UConn’s shooting slowed significantly in the third quarter and the Huskies had to rely even more heavily on their defense to maintain their lead. The team went a combined 1-for-8 from 3-point range and shot just 33% from the field, outscoring Oregon State just 13-12. Strong was a bright spot for the Huskies in the third period as she was the team’s only 3-point player and grabbed three rebounds after having four in the entire first half.

Redshirt junior Azzi Fudd, playing in just her second game since tearing her ACL last season, found a rhythm with Bueckers in the fourth, with the pair going on three straight plays to a 7-2 run in the opening minutes.

Fudd, known as an elite 3-point shooter, hit her first shot from distance this season assisted by Bueckers, and the superstar point guard threw both arms in the air with three fingers extended and grinned from ear to ear when the shot was fired. Fudd didn’t celebrate, however, as she recovered a bad pass from the Beavers and provided Bueckers with her second assist on the next possession.

“It was obviously a relief,” Bueckers said with a smile. “She’s a tireless worker and we’ve been trying to get her threes in the last two games, so it’s great for her to see the ball go in. We keep telling her to keep shooting and keep shooting, it’s coming, it’s coming.” Coming. She’s just saving them, but it was really nice to see.”

Bueckers and Fudd checked out shortly after Fudd made her 3-pointer, and the Huskies struggled to get production going for nearly three minutes without a field goal. Brady ended the losing streak with a turnaround jump shot, but UConn allowed the Beavers to end the game with a 9-0 run. Still, the Huskies outscored Oregon State 22-18, scoring 24 points on 24 forced turnovers, including 11 steals. The Huskies also had 25 assists on 28 made field goals, with six different players making at least two.

“They played a lot in the zone today and were able to find some pretty good ballplayers in that high post area who made some great decisions,” Auriemma said. “The ball was just really bouncing… There’s more than one player we can put there and we got the ball there a lot.”

Originally published: November 25, 2024 at 9:17 pm EST