Freshman Caroline Ducharme scored 20 points, Christyn Williams added 19 and No. 10 UConn routed Xavier 78-41 on Saturday to win its 165th straight conference game.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa also filled up the stat sheet for UConn (9-3, 4-0 Big East), scoring 11 points, blocking eight shots, pulling down six rebounds and grabbing a career-high five steals. Little-used Piath Gabrial chipped in with a career-high nine points for the Huskies, who have now won three straight since coming off a 21-day COVID-19-related pause.
Aanaya Harris had 12 points and Miikayla Hayes added 10 for Xavier (6-9, 1-5), which hit just 17 of its 64 shots (27%).
Williams opened the scoring with a 3-pointer from the right corner. UConn scored the game’s first 11 points never trailed. The senior guard had 10 of her points in the first 10 minutes and the Huskies led 28-13 after a quarter.
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A 3-pointer by Ducharme from the left corner gave the Huskies their first 20-point lead midway through the second quarter at 37-17. The freshman had 14 point in the first half and has scored at least 14 points in six of UConn’s last seven games.
The Huskies led 48-23 at intermission. They were led on defense by Nelson-Ododa, who had six blocked shots before halftime.
Connecticut opened the second half with nine straight points, taking its first 30-point lead at 53-23 and stretched the lead from there.
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BIG PICTURE
Xavier: Guard Shelby Calhoun, who came back this week from a hand injury she suffered on Nov. 13, left the game with an apparent right knee injury after a collision going for a loose ball in the third quarter. The Musketeers are now 0-4 against UConn and 11-48 all-time against ranked teams.
UConn: The Huskies have not lost a conference game since the program’s first stint in the Big East, a 61-59 loss to Notre Dame in the Big East Tournament on March 12, 2013. The Huskies haven’t lost a regular season conference game since March 4, 2013, a triple-overtime loss to the Irish.
UP NEXT
Xavier: The Musketeers return home to face Marquette on Friday.
UConn: The Huskies travel to face Oregon on Monday night.
