Azzi Fudd, Geno Auriemma return as UConn women’s basketball beats St. John’s, 82-52

The fourth-ranked UConn Huskies beat the St. John’s Red Storm 82-52 at the first-ever women’s basketball game at UBS Arena on Wednesday.

Azzi Fudd returned after missing the last eight games due to a right knee injury. Though she played just 20 minutes, she finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 2-of-4 effort from deep. Geno Auriemma also re-joined the team after stepping away last week to focus on his health. Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson both remained out due to concussion protocol.

Dorka Juhász recorded her 1,00th career rebound and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Aaliyah Edwards also had a strong day down low with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go with seven rebounds, while Lou Lopez Sénéchal racked up a team-high 20 points while only missing one shot.

UConn only turned the ball over 10 times and scored 24 points off St. John’s 13 turnovers. The Huskies also outscored the Red Storm in the paint, 44-22.

UConn jumped out to a 9-1 lead thanks to Edwards and Juhász, who started off the game with three consecutive layups and ultimately had 12 of the team’s 17 points in the first quarter. The Huskies couldn’t pull away early, though. St. John’s twice came back to get within two but couldn’t find the elusive basket to tie the game or go ahead.

In the second quarter, UConn used a 9-0 run to push the gap past double digits for the first time and, while St. John’s answered with four straight points, the Huskies proved to be too much. They closed the half on a 7-0 run to double the hosts up, 41-20.

UConn’s defense put the game away for good after the break. The Red Storm made their second attempt of the second half but then went on to miss their next seven shots as the Huskies’ lead extended to the cusp of 30 points. In the end, UConn came away with a 30-point win.

Next, the Huskies (14-2, 7-0 Big East) will host Georgetown on Sunday at the XL Center at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on SNY.