UConn teammate Ice Brady drops 2-word reaction as Sarah Strong wins WBCA Freshman of the Year

UConn freshman Sarah Strong put in a dominant performance as the No. 2-seeded Huskies beat the No. 1-seeded USC Trojans 78-64 on Tuesday evening in their Elite Eight clash. Strong registered 22 points, 17 rebounds and four assists to lead the Huskies to the Final Four where they will play the No. 1-seeded UCLA Bruins on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association named Strong the 2025 WBCA NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year. She has averaged 16.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season. She leads UConn in rebounds, blocks and steals and is only behind the dominant Paige Bueckers in terms of points scored.

Sarah Strong's UConn teammate, Isuneh 'Ice' Brady, posted a two-word reaction on her Instagram stories to the freshman's award win.

"Ya rah," Ice Brady captioned her Instagram story.

Ice Brady's IG stories

Sarah Strong hailed for 'carrying' UConn

Sarah Strong has had an impressive freshman year and already ranks in the UConn Huskies' top 10 for various freshman records. They include second in points (611), first in rebounds (333), second in assists (135), fourth in steals (89), and fourth in blocks (62).

Strong has not been a flat-track bully either, averaging 16.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game against AP Top 25 opponents. She was selected to the Big East All-Tournament team for her performances alongside Paige Bueckers as the Huskies won the tournament for the fifth year in a row. In addition, the forward was named the Big East Freshman of the Year.

In the Huskies' Elite Eight clash against the USC Trojans, Strong stepped up when the Trojans double-marked Bueckers. During his postgame news conference, coach Geno Auriemma mentioned how he schemed to make Strong shoot more during the game.

“(Assistant coach Jamelle Elliott) and I sat down at one point yesterday, and we said that’s it,” Auriemma said. “We’re going to force her to shoot the ball and force her to score. We’re not going to leave it up to her anymore … I knew it was going to be hard as hell for Paige to get going in the first quarter because I know what teams do to her.

"It takes a while for it to shake itself out … so Sarah just completely carried us that whole first quarter.”

Sarah Strong has formed a lethal trio alongside Bueckers and Azzi Fudd as the UConn Huskies attempt to win Auriemma's first national title since 2016 and dethrone the South Carolina Gamecocks.