No. 10 UConn has its outside-inside threat of Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards dominating opponents as the Huskies head toward the postseason.
Bueckers scored 31 points and Edwards added her 16th double-double of the season as the Huskies beat Villanova 67-46 on Wednesday night.
Bueckers made 11 of her 15 shots from the floor and Edwards finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the final regular-season home game for Connecticut (25-5, 17-0 Big East). The Huskies had already clinched the regular-season conference title and the top seed in next week’s Big East Tournament.
“Obviously me and Aaliyah's two-game has been something that has been developed for a while and I think we have great chemistry there,” Bueckers said. “But on any given night, I think anyone can be a scoring threat.”
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Kaitlyn Orihel had 15 points and Zanai Jones added 10 for Villanova (17-11, 10-7), which has lost three of its last four and falls into a tie in the loss column with St. John’s and Marquette. The Red Storm clinched the No. 3 seed with Villanova's loss. The Wildcats and the Golden Eagles will be in the four-five game at the tournament.
“We've got to figure it out, you know, regroup and get a win on Sunday before we head to the tournament,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said.
Bueckers, who had 16 points by halftime, opened the scoring with a jumper, the Huskies began the game with a 10-2 run and never trailed.
Dog House
UConn led 15-10 after a quarter and 35-24 a the half.
They went up by 16 points in the third quarter, but Bueckers also picked up her third and fourth fouls in that frame.
A layup by Villanova's Bella Runyan cut the deficit to 49-42 early in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as the Wildcats got.
The Huskies closed the game on an 18-4 run.
UConn held Villanova to just 18 baskets on 58 shots (31% shooting). Wildcats star Lucy Olsen, who came into the game averaging 23.6 points, was held to six points and made just two of her 16 shots.
KEY STATS
UConn players not named Paige Bueckers or Aaliyah Edwards scored just 22 points and were 9 of 27 from the floor (33%). But coach Geno Auriemma said he's not worried about finding a consistent third scoring option.
“My concern more is that we get enough touches by everybody else that they have opportunities to make shots,” he said. “Then if they make ‘em, they make ’em. If they don't they don't.”
BIG PICTURE
Villanova: The Wildcats fall to 1-4 against ranked opponents this season. The win came last month against No. 23 Marquette (66-63). In addition to the two losses against UConn, they have also been beaten twice by No. 21 Creighton.
UConn: Since losing to South Carolina, the Huskies have won five straight games by 20-plus points.
UP NEXT
Villanova: The Wildcats head home to close out the regular season by hosting DePaul on Sunday.
UConn: The Huskies finish the regular season on Saturday with a trip to Providence.
