Christyn Williams scored 13 points and Azzi Fudd added 11 as No. 10 Connecticut beat Xavier 89-35 on Friday night, extending its winning streak to three games.
UConn (18-5, 12-1 Big East) is beginning to get healthy after eight of its 12 players missed at least two games due to injury or illness this season.
Caroline Ducharme, who had missed the last four games with a head injury, came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting for the Huskies. She also had four rebounds and two assists.
Senior forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa also returned on Friday after missing three games with a groin injury. She scored eight points off the bench.
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Kaysia Woods had four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to lead Xavier (8-17, 3-13 Big East). The Musketeers have lost all five meetings with the Huskies by an average of 38 points.
UConn has had nine different starting lineups this season, but has used the same lineup in three straight games.
This game got off to a sloppy start for the Huskies, who committed five turnovers in the first quarter. Fudd also picked up two fouls and sat most of the period.
Xavier was coming off a 62-60 win at Providence that snapped a five-game losing streak. But the Musketeers could only hang with UConn for about a quarter and a half.
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The Huskies finished the first half on a 21-2 run, holding the Musketeers scoreless for the final 6:20 and forcing seven turnovers.
UConn led 44-19 at the break and scored the first 18 points of the second half. The Huskies held Xavier without a field goal for more than 15 minutes.
Piath Gabriel scored 11 points off the bench and Aaliyah Edwards had 10 giving the Huskies five players in double figures.
STILL SIDELINED
UConn sophomore guard Paige Bueckers, the reigning AP player of the year, did not play Friday despite returning to practice this week for the first time since having left knee surgery in December.
Bueckers hasn’t played since suffering a fractured tibia and a lateral meniscus tear during a win over Notre Dame on Dec. 5.
UP NEXT
UConn: Hosts Georgetown on Monday.
Xavier: Plays at Butler on Monday.
