"The secret ingredient was released today": Fans get hyped as Geno Auriemma lauds Jana El Alfy for her "best game" in UConn career vs South Carolina

Geno Auriemma and the seventh-ranked UConn Huskies finally snapped their four-game losing skid against the fourth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday, recording an emphatic 87-58 upset win at Colonial Life Arena. Azzi Fudd starred for the Huskies, who nabbed their first win against South Carolina since Feb. 8, 2021.

Fudd scored a game-high 28 points for the Huskies, 18 of which came in the third quarter. Other players stepped up for UConn, including Jana El Alfy, who was praised by Auriemma in the postgame press conference. The UConn coach called El-Alfy's performance against South Carolina the "best game she's played" in her college career.

College hoops fans were hyped to see Auriemma give El Alfy her flowers following the win over the Gamecocks. They took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the freshman center after she scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in the top-10 showdown.

"The secret ingredient was released today!" one fan claimed.

"That's some next level ballin!" one fan replied.

"She was a key piece as well," one fan posted.

Here are some other reactions.

"She seriously did. Actually played like the 6'5" player that she is," one fan noted.

"GENO PRAISING JANA?!? YES OMG WE ARE SO BACK," one fan claimed.

"Put some respect on Jana for this game," one fan wrote.

"100% deserves her flowers. Excited to see her build on it with more minutes in Big East play! Right?" one fan tweeted.

Jana El Alfy entered the contest averaging 5.7 points and 5.2 rebounds. She played 22 minutes against South Carolina and shot 3-of-5 from the field. She also went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Sarah Strong and Paige Bueckers record double-doubles for Geno Auriemma in win over South Carolina

It wasn't just Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy who thrived against South Carolina's defense. Sarah Strong and Paige Bueckers also stepped up for Geno Auriemma, achieving double-double feats against the Gamecocks.

Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies celebrate during their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Photo: Imagn

Strong scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Strong's monster performance was a welcome sight for Geno Auriemma as the freshman forward had struggled in her previous two outings. She failed to score in double figures in the games against Providence and St. John's, dropping seven and two points, respectively.

Bueckers added 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Huskies, who stretched their unbeaten run to three games.