No. 3 UConn bounces back, rolls by No. 17 DePaul 100-67
CHICAGO (AP) — Chrystin Williams scored a career-high 29 points, Paige Bueckers added 22 points and personal-best 10 assists, and No. 3 UConn bounced back from a rare loss to beat No. 17 DePaul 100-67 on Sunday afternoon.
The Huskies (11-1, 9-0 Big East) haven’t dropped consecutive games in 28 years. And they weren’t about to let it happen this time, after losing at No. 19 Arkansas on Thursday.
UConn used a dominant second quarter to build a 14-point halftime lead. The Huskies remained in control the rest of the way and improved to 19-1 all-time against DePaul (9-4, 6-2) — 19-0 under Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma.
Williams made 12 of 15 shots. Bueckers nailed a personal-best 5 of 7 3-pointers. The star freshman also had seven rebounds and just one turnover.
Evina Westbrook scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. The Huskies shot about 58% and finished six points shy of their season high in a matchup between two of the nation’s most prolific scoring teams.
Sonya Morris scored 19 for DePaul, which had won four in a row since a loss at UConn. Lexi Held added 16 points.
UConn trailed by as much as seven in the first quarter, only to turn things around in a big way in the second. The Huskies outscored the Blue Demons 29-11 in the period to take a 47-33 lead.
DePaul was ahead 29-28 when UConn went on a 10-0 run, capped by Buecker’s 3 with 3:44 remaining. Bueckers also nailed a 3 in the closing seconds in the half, and Westbrook stole the inbounds, leading to a free throw that made it a 14-point game.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: Make it 1,005 games without consecutive losses for the Huskies. The last time they dropped back-to-back outings? March 7 and 17, 1993, when they lost to Providence in the Big East tournament and Louisville in the NCAA.
DePaul: Playing their first game in 10 days, the Blue Demons went cold after a solid start. They shot about 36% and were 8-26 on 3-pointers.
UP NEXT
UConn: The Huskies will try to make it back-to-back wins when they host St. John’s on Wednesday.
DePaul: The Blue Demons visit Seton Hall on Thursday.
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