Freshman Sarah Strong scores 22 points to lead No. 2 UConn past Holy Cross 88-52

1 of 8 |

UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) grabs a rebound in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Holy Cross, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

2 of 8 |

UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives to the basket as Holy Cross guard Simone Foreman (24) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

3 of 8 |

UConn guard Azzi Fudd, left, reaches for the ball against Holy Cross guard Simone Foreman, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

4 of 8 |

UConn forward Sarah Strong, top and Holy Cross guard Simone Foreman wrestle for the ball in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

5 of 8 |

UConn guard Morgan Cheli (23) makes a three-point basket over Holy Cross guard Janie Bachmann (21) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

6 of 8 |

UConn guard Kaitlyn Chen (20) makes a three-point basket against Holy Cross in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

7 of 8 |

UConn forward Sarah Strong, center, and guard KK Arnold, left, battle for possession of the ball with Holy Cross forward Meg Cahalan during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

8 of 8 |

UConn forward Sarah Strong, pushes through with the ball after being fouled by Holy Cross forward Lindsay Berger (35) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

By JIM FULLER

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Freshman Sarah Strong scored 22 points and No. 2 UConn outscored Holy Cross by 30 points in the second half of an 88-52 victory on Tuesday night.

Kaitlyn Chen scored 14 points and Paige Bueckers added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists for UConn (7-0), which led 33-27 at the break and shot 7 for 12 from 3-point distance in the second half.

Lindsay Berger scored 12 points and Kaitlyn Flanagan added 10 points for Holy Cross (4-4).

Azzi Fudd made her first start of the season for UConn after missing the first three games of the season as she recovered from a knee injury that limited her to just two games during the 2023-24 season. Fudd scored seven points in 18 minutes.

Takeaways

Holy Cross: The Crusaders held UConn to a season-low 33 points in the first half and are the only opponent to be within single digits of UConn at halftime this season.

UConn: After shooting 3 for 14 from distiance against Ole Miss, the Huskies had a season-high 14 3-pointers.

Key moment

Holy Cross pulled within four points on Kaitlyn Flanagan’s 3-pointer 49 seconds into the second half. After a layup by Bueckers, Sarah Strong had a basket and a steal that led to Kaitlyn Chen making 1 of 2 shots from the line. Chen added a fast-break layup and Fudd capped 10-0 run with a 3-pointer, putting the Huskies up 46-32.

Not PARSE.LY: Women’s college basketball

Watkins hits career-high, school-record 9 3-pointers in No. 6 USC’s 94-52 win over Cal Baptist

UConn rolls past Holy Cross

Crooks records double-double to lead Iowa St. dismantling of SC Upstate

Key stat

UConn finished with 27 assists on 35 baskets. That included 18 assists on 22 baskets in the second half as the Huskies shot 64.7% from the field after halftime.

Paris Olympics

The Olympics are more than fun and games. They’re a billion-dollar business with political overtones.
Breakdance will make it’s debut as an Olympic sport in Paris.. Here’s what else will be different at this year’s games.
Follow all of AP’s coverage of the Summer Games.

Up next

The Crusaders host Stony Brook on Sunday. UConn faces Louisville in the Women’s Champions Classic on Saturday at Barclays Center.

___

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

Olympic Hightlights

1 of 7 |

FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

2 of 7 |

FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

3 of 7 |

FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

4 of 7 |

Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

5 of 7 |

USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

6 of 7 |

Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

7 of 7 |

FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)