UConn Women’s Basketball Knocks Off No. 1 Notre Dame, 89-71

UConn women’s basketball went into South Bend and came away with a dominant victory over the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 89-71.

Freshman Christyn Williams came out on fire, hitting her first 7 shots and scoring 14 of the Huskies’ first 18 points. She finished with a game-high 28 points while playing every minute.

UConn pulled out to a 7-point lead at the start of the second quarter, but Notre Dame slowly chipped away and got it down to just two points. But a pair of big shots from Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield kept the Fighting Irish at arms length.

The Husky defense then locked down, holding Notre Dame without a basket for over two and a half minutes as UConn extended the lead out to eight points. Once again, the Fighting Irish came back and closed the half on a 6-1 run to go into the half trailing by just 3 points.

Katie Lou Samuelson started the game 0-7 from the field but finally got on the board in the third quarter with a pair of free throws followed by her first basket. She turned it on from there, scoring 15 points down the final stretch.

Notre Dame jumped out on a 7-0 run to pull within two, but again, UConn continued to hit the big shots to hold on to their lead.

The Huskies were dealt a big blow when Collier picked up her fourth foul, forcing Geno Auriemma to use freshman Olivia Nelson-Ododa. However, the freshman stepped up and held her own, finishing with 5 points and 5 rebounds, including a thunderous block of Marina Mabrey.

Despite the Fighting Irish’s numerous attempts to get back in the game, UConn continued to stunt any comebacks. In the final quarter, the closest Notre Dame got was six points before the Huskies ripped off a 7-0 run that pushed the lead to double-digits.

UConn continued to build its lead as the Fighting Irish unraveled and the Huskies came home with a 89-71 win. It is UConn’s eighth-straight win over a top-2 team.

Collier was key down low, grabbing 15 rebounds to go with 16 points on the day. Megan Walker was also big on the boards finishing with 12 points and 8 boards. Notre Dame hit just 1 three-pointer all game.

Despite the Fighting Irish holding a hefty size advantage, UConn outscored them in the paint 42-38 and held a 46-41 advantage on rebounds.

With the win, the Huskies improve to 7-0 on the young season. Their next game comes on Tuesday against Saint Louis for Collier’s homecoming game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.