UConn women’s basketball runs over Northeastern in season opener, 98-39

UConn women’s basketball kicked off the 2022-23 season in blowout fashion, defeating the Northeastern Huskies, 98-39.

Aaliyah Edwards recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds — the first since her freshman year. Azzi Fudd only made a single three but still led all scorers with 26 thanks to an 8-of-9 performance from inside the arc and a perfect 7-of-7 effort from the free throw line. She also tied a career-high with four assists.

Nika Mühl did it all at the point. She dished out a team-best seven assists and tied a career-best with seven steals. Lou Lopez Sénéchal dropped 17 points in her UConn debut while Aubrey Griffin totaled 13 points and five rebounds. Dorka Juhász also notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Huskies had more points off turnovers (43) and points in the paint (40) than Northeastern had total points (39).

After a slow start in the exhibition, UConn wasted no time against Northeastern, scoring on each of its first four shots. The Huskies’ five starters all found the basket in the first five minutes and they all had as many points as the visitors through the opening six minutes.

Northeastern got itself on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer in the opening minutes but UConn responded with a 15-0 run that put the game out of reach shortly after the first media timeout. By the end of the quarter, the Huskies led by 20.

While Northeastern showed some fight in the second quarter to keep the deficit from growing through the first four minutes, UConn proved to be too much to contain. The Huskies closed the half on a 16-2 run and went into the locker room up 51-19.

The break did little to help the away team. Northeastern made just a single basket in the third — a 3-pointer in the final seconds. UConn actually scored its fewest points in any quarter but still extended the advantage to 45 courtesy of the lockdown defense.

The fourth quarter featured little drama as the Huskies rolled on to a 59-point victory. They never trailed.

Ayanna Patterson and Inês Bettencourt both made their collegiate debuts in the win. Patterson had five points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes while Bettencourt had an assist in limited action late in the fourth quarter. Caroline Ducharme sat out with neck stiffness for the second consecutive game (counting the exhibition).

With the victory, UConn extends its win streak in season openers to 27. Next, the Huskies will prepare for their first real test when the No. 3 Texas Longhorns visit Gampel Pavilion on Monday.