Azzi Fudd says Geno Auriemma pushed UConn to be more aggressive in Paige Bueckers' absence

UConn guard Azzi Fudd on Wednesday said coach Geno Auriemma motivated the Huskies to play more aggressively with star guard Paige Bueckers out due to a knee sprain.

Fudd, who scored 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point line, filled the void left by Bueckers, leading No. 7-ranked UConn (14-2, 5-0 in Big East) to an 81-27 win over Xavier (5-10, 0-4 in Big East) on Wednesday at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

After the game, Fudd told SNY courtside reporter Chelsea Sherrod that Auriemma demanded his team be more aggressive and play freely despite missing Bueckers.

"Coach was really harping on you: Paige is out, everyone has to step up and grow in other areas that we might not been able to do before and I think all of us really did that tonight," the UConn guard told Sherrod (per UConn on SNY).

"Every single person was aggressive, was playing we just play together that was the biggest thing and when Paige has come back and we add her. It's gonna be so much fun," she added.

Fudd said she had fun in this game and hopes the team continues to build momentum until Bueckers returns to full strength.

"It's hard not to feel good when you play well, the whole team plays well like it was really a fun game so I definitely feel a lot better after today. Not just me but the whole team just keep building on this momentum," she said.

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Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong lead UConn to 54-point beatdown of Xavier

Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong combined for 38 points to lead the UConn Huskies to an 81-27 win over the Xavier Musketeers in the 2024-25 women's college basketball season on Wednesday.

Fudd was efficient on offense, tallying 23 points, two rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block in 20 minutes of play for the Geno Auriemma-coached team, which improved to 5-0 in Big East Conference standings.

Strong, the No. 1 freshman in the Class of 2024, contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist and five steals, filling in for the absence of injured star Paige Bueckers. Allie Ziebell came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range.

Center Jana El-Alfy added 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block for UConn, which made 52.4% of its shots from the field. The Huskies limited the Musketeers to 22.7% shooting and dominated in assists (19-9) and steals (20-5).

UConn returns to action on Saturday when it visits Georgetown at McDonough Arena in Washington D.C.