Williams leads No. 10 UConn to 90-49 rout of Georgetown

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — During a season made more difficult by injuries to critical players, UConn coach Geno Auriemma has waited for his team to play a near-perfect game.

His patience may have been rewarded on Sunday.

Christyn Williams scored 19 points to lead No. 10 UConn to a 90-49 rout of Georgetown

“It’s validation that when we’re good, we’re really good,” said Auriemma. “We showed we can be explosive in the transition, we can be good defensively and in the half court. And now it’s all about trying to get 40 minutes out of it. I know it’s hard when you have a big lead, but it’s all about building good habits.”

Reigning national player of the year Paige Bueckers, who has been out since Dec. 5 with a left knee injury, participated in pre-game warmups as she gets closer to returning to the floor.

But Auriemma said its highly unlikely she would play again before the end of the regular season.

“There’s some really good days when she feels like she can play tomorrow and days when she’s reminded that no you can’t,” said Auriemma. “There’s more good days than not, but she won’t be playing for the rest of the week.”

Azzi Fudd scored all 12 of her points in the first half and Nika Muhl added 11 for the Huskies (19-5, 13-1 Big East) who won their fourth straight since having the program’s almost nine-year conference winning streak snapped by Villanova.

Mary Clougherty had 15 points to lead Georgetown (7-17, 2-14), which has lost their last 31 meetings with the Huskies.

The loss was the seventh straight and 13th in the last 14 games for the Hoyas who haven’t won since a 78-62 win over Butler on Jan. 30.

Muhl opened the game with a 3-pointer, but the Huskies turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and trailed 4-3 early.

UConn used a 12-0 run to take control of the game, capped by a steal and 3-point play from Evina Westbrook, which gave the Huskies a 15-4 lead. Fudd had seven points in the opening 10 minutes and UConn led 20-9 after a quarter.

“We came out in a zone thinking we could slow them down a little bit, but their weapons came out early and knocked down some threes. Their ability to score without committing turnovers is a big part of that,” Georgetown coach James Howard said. “They had 39 points off our turnovers, we didn’t take care of the ball.”

The Huskies closed the half on a 19-2 run and led 45-19 at intermission after forcing 19 turnovers from Georgetown, including 16 steals.

“It’s fun when we play a game like that. I know it’s fun to watch. It’s fun playing that way. We are at our best when we get out there in transition,” said Williams.

BIG PICTURE

Georgetown: The Hoyas came into the game averaging just under 18 turnovers per game. They had 30 on Sunday. The Huskies made 21 steals – and committed 21 turnovers.

UConn: The Huskies had 10 players see action, after spending much of the season with eight or fewer available to play.

CHASING TITLES

The Huskies close out the regular season with three more home games this week. They just need one win to secure top seed in the upcoming Big East Tournament. UConn has won 20 conference postseason titles.

GREAT DEFENSE

UConn held Georgetown to just 17 field goals. The Hoyas were 8-of-25 from three-point range and shot just 32.1 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

Georgetown returns home to face Villanova on Tuesday night.

UConn plays the second game in a four-game homestand to end the regular season when it hosts Marquette on Wednesday in Hartford.

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