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STORRS, Conn. — Sarah Strong wasn’t surprised when Azzi Fudd caught fire Monday night. To Strong, it’s simple.

“That’s what Azzi does,” Strong said. “(She) doesn’t miss.”

Strong, who is becoming a UConn legend herself, had seen performances like Fudd’s 34-point showing many times. This time, though, it was as the lights shined brightest, lifting No. 1 UConn (36-0, 20-0 Big East) past No. 9 seed Syracuse (24-10, 12-6 Atlantic Coast) 98-45 in the NCAA Tournament Second Round.

Fudd’s point total and eight 3-pointers both marked season-highs and tied career-highs she’d previously set on Feb. 12, 2025, against St. John’s. As Strong said, the fifth-year guard simply couldn’t miss.

“I’m happy to see her at her most confident self,” Strong said. “That’s going to be really important in the long run.”

The Huskies are amid yet another ridiculous season, having not lost a game since Feb. 6, 2025. With its win over the Orange, UConn is back in the Sweet 16 for the 32nd consecutive year. But to Fudd, the meeting with the Orange meant a little bit more.

The Huskies’ 53-point victory marked Fudd’s final game in Gampel Pavilion, a place she’s called “home” for the last five seasons. Thus far with UConn, Fudd has won one national championship, made the title game twice and scored 1,656 points, which ranks 23rd in the Huskies’ program history.

As Fudd walked off Alumni Court for the final time Monday, she embraced a chorus of chants and cheers from UConn’s fans that reveled in the Huskies’ bloodbath. Then she raced over to the student section in the southeast corner of the stadium, where she smiled alongside about 50 students for photos before jogging off the court as the chorus resumed in unison.

“When people say no place compares, it really doesn’t,” Fudd said of Gampel. “The environment, the crowd, the fans, the students, everything about this place is amazing.”

Fudd knew she had to put on a show one last time for those who had supported her through five triumphant years. Behind the victories, though, was an injury-riddled career that included a torn ACL and a meniscus tear Fudd sustained during a practice two games into her junior season.

Since then, it’s been a slow but steady climb back. In 2024-25, she averaged 13.6 points per game but played a lesser role behind Paige Bueckers and Strong. Now, she’s returned to the spotlight on a loaded UConn team, further proving Monday that she can be a lifeline when the Huskies need her most.

“To be able to play here one last time, have a great team win like we did tonight,” Fudd said. “(I) couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Syracuse’s main focus on UConn’s lethal attack, as expected, centered on Strong and Fudd. The two led the Huskies with 18.4 and 17.4 points per game prior to Monday. If you attach yourself to one, you leave the other open. To SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, it’s nearly an unsolvable puzzle.

She said Sunday that to hang with UConn, the Orange simply needed to “contain” the pair. Their stat lines, however — 52 combined points, 12 rebounds and eight assists — suggest SU was miles from it.

“They’re sensational,” Legette-Jack said of the Huskies’ core. “They’re great, and they’re amazing and shooting and making all those 3s.”

Sophie Burrows said the Orange entered Monday with a game plan to shut out Fudd, which consisted of running her off the 3-point line, forcing her into tough pull-up jumpers and making her — a rather calm player — feel uncomfortable.

Burrows and Camdyn Nelson both agreed SU just didn’t stick to that game plan, ultimately dooming the Orange in what was an onslaught from the opening tip.

“A lot of the shots she got were wide-open shots that she was able to obviously make because that’s what she does,” Burrows said of Fudd.

Azzi Fudd shot an unbelievable 13-for-18 from the field to record 34 points in UConn’s evisceration of Syracuse Monday. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor

Fudd helped the Huskies ride an absurd 31-0 first-half run, a gut-punch Syracuse hadn’t experienced all season that it couldn’t recover from. Despite UConn’s legendary status under Geno Auriemma, the Huskies’ start wasn’t normal. Auriemma said of all the scenarios he pictured in his head, none involved UConn going on the run it did.

“We were pretty focused, and we were pretty locked in together,” Auriemma said. “That’s the best half of basketball, best 20 minutes that I’ve seen in a long, long time from our team.

“This is about as good as it gets.”

Fudd was the spark in that burst, splashing two first-quarter 3s and five total field goals to give UConn an insurmountable 33-8 first-quarter lead. From there, Fudd said she reached “flow state,” outscoring Syracuse alone with 26 first-half points compared to the Orange’s season-low 12.

“My teammates were just finding me, setting me great screens,” Fudd said. “I feel like I wasn’t really thinking. When I was open, I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to shoot it.’”

Good thing Fudd did. Thirteen of her 18 shots hit nylon, her second-best efficiency of the season and third-best in 17 career NCAA Tournament games.

Fudd said the Huskies were ready for Syracuse’s zone defense, making it a major point of emphasis in practice Sunday. She said they worked a lot on moving and cutting to the rim, a key reason the paint was clogged while Fudd was open beyond the arc.

As Syracuse’s loss materialized Monday, it didn’t matter what Fudd did. She and Strong — who scored 18 points — looked like elementary school kids playing basketball at recess. They were having too much fun. If the pair keeps that up, UConn could very well be hoisting another national championship trophy in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, Syracuse will be watching the ceremony from home, largely because of Fudd’s monster performance Monday.

“The way Azzi impacted the game,” Auriemma started, “(It) was spectacular.”

Published on March 24, 2026 at 1:23 am
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