For the first time since 2013, No. 8 UConn women's basketball lost a conference game. Villanova did everything possible to end the streak on Wednesday night, beating the Huskies, 72-69.
It's also Villanova's first win over UConn since 2004.
Sophomore Lior Garzon led the way for the Wildcats, finishing with 19 points and four rebounds. The Wildcats outrebounded UConn by a whopping 37-21 margin. That was in large part due to the play of junior Maddy Siegrist and graduate student Brianna Herlihy, both of whom managed double-doubles Wednesday. Siegrist finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Herlihy notched 15 and 10.
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Villanova set the tone early by jumping out to a 25-15 lead after one quarter. That was fueled by Garzon's eight points and Siegrist's seven. Even after a back-and-forth second quarter, Villanova outscored the Huskies by 10 in the third quarter. And, once again, Garzon had eight points in the frame.
Statement dub in Hartford‼️✌️ pic.twitter.com/ntJmDlrntJ
— Villanova WBB (@novawbb) February 10, 2022
The win, however, didn't always look so sure.
UConn threw everything it had at the Wildcats in the final 10 minutes, outscoring them, 24-10. Freshman guard Azzi Fudd accounted for 13 of those 24 points in the fourth quarter, as she finished the night with a team-high 29 total. Senior Christyn Williams was also a key cog for UConn Wednesday night, scoring 24.
The Huskies implemented a full-court press for much of the last frame and forced Villanova turnovers. Ultimately, they fell short, ending their streak of 169-straight conference wins.
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Villanova improves to 10-3 in conference play this season and has now won eight-straight games. UConn falls to 9-1 in the Big East this season.
