Hartford, Conn—UConn women’s basketball team beat NC State 91-69 Sunday afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Azzi Fudd matched her career-high with 32 points and was a complete floor general that ran the offense flawlessly.
The afternoon started with a scary moment when longtime UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey fainted after the national anthem. CD was attended to on the court by medical personnel for a few minutes before being taken out on a stretcher. She waved to the crowd and smiled as she left the hardwood.
“CD is good. everything tested out pretty good,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said of Dailey, who was taken to a hospital. “There’s nothing serious. nothing threatening. She’s alert and awake. She’s going to be going home soon. So she’s good.”
The UConn players were shaken and tearing up as they went back to the locker room as the start of the game was delayed for 10 minutes. Dailey texted the players during the game that she was alright.
UConn (3-0) scored the first nine points en route to a 23-13 lead after one quarter. Fudd had 11 points in the period and had 22 at the break as the Huskies led 40-33.
Diamond Johnson kept the Wolfpack in the game with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes.
“We had 19 turnovers. nine assists. That’s not team basketball,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. “We got to figure that out.”
Nika Mühl had 15 assists which broke Paige Bueckers assists record.
Bueckers had 14 assists as a freshman at Butler on Feb. 27, 2001. Renee Montgomery (Nov. 2008 against Oklahoma), Laura Lishness (Jan. 1991 against Seton Hall) and Susie Sturman (Feb. 1980) against Vermont, all posted 13-assist games.
Paige Bueckers hugged Mühl once, hugged her twice, then kept her arm around Mühl’s shoulders as they walked the sideline together, chatting excitedly.
“She told me I broke the UConn record,” Mühl said. “I was like, ‘Didn’t you hold the UConn record? I was like, ‘Oh, I broke your record.’ That’s what I was happy about the most.”
Mühl has been UConn’s comic and defensive stalwart since her arrival from Croatia two-plus years ago. She has made an impact and a name for herself mostly by being stubborn, tough, and fiesty. Her favorite player of all-time is Dennis Rodman and former teammate Evina Westbrook used to call her “The Gnat.”
Johnson finished with 14 points for the Wolfpack (4-1).
“There’s so much pressure on Nika right now, to be perfect every night almost, to handle the ball, to play the other teams’ best guard, to make sure she gets us into what we need to do, make sure our transition game is going, make sure the right people get the ball at the right time and stay out of foul trouble, which goes against everything she believes in,” coach Auriemma said. “In spite of all that, she’s able to do what she did today. I just thought it was an unbelievable performance, just unbelievable. And I don’t think it was loud, either. I think it was subtle. She’s matured so much.”
Lopez Senechal finished with 20 points. Aaliyah Edwards chipped in 20 as well along with 12 rebounds.
Up Next:
UConn will travel to Durham NC to play Duke for a 6:00 P.M. start time.