No. 5 UConn beats Providence, extends Big East win streak to 33

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 20 points as No. 5 UConn beat Providence 77-40 on Sunday to extend its Big East regular-season winning streak to 33 games.

Bueckers did all scoring in the first three quarters, shooting 6 for 12 from the field and 6 for 6 from the line. Azzi Fudd had 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting, and Ashlynn Shade added 12 points.

The Huskies (22-3, 13-0) limited the Friars (10-16, 3-10) to 27% (13 for 49) shooting. Providence missed 20 of 24 shots from 3-point range.

Marta Morales led Providence with 15 points.

Takeaways

UConn: A dominating win in the Big East should help the Huskies following Thursday’s 80-76 loss at No. 19 Tennessee. Now 13-0 in league play, the Huskies have beaten their conference East foes by an average of 34 points.

Providence: The Friars usually play their home games at an on-campus venue that seats 1,854. On Sunday, Providence played at the same arena where the school’s men’s basketball program plays its home games. The third meeting between Huskies and the Friars at the Amica Mutual Pavilion had an announced crowd of 7,483.

Key moment

The Huskies led 18-9 late in the opening quarter. Connecticut closed the quarter with five straight points – part of a 10-0 run – to take a 23-9 lead. After Providence made the first basket of the second, UConn scored the next nine points, opening up a 32-11 lead. Shade provided a spark off the bench by scoring eight of her 10 first-half points in the first quarter.

Key stat

Connecticut had nine turnovers, its 12th game of the season in which it had 10 or fewer turnovers. Providence had 25 turnovers.

Up next

Connecticut hosts St. John’s on Wednesday. Providence is at Xavier, also on Wednesday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball