Shorthanded No. 5 UConn routs Butler behind 20 from Edwards

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Aaliyah Edwards scored 20 points and No. 5 UConn, with just seven healthy players again, routed Butler 79-39 on Saturday.

Aubrey Griffin and Lou Lopez Senechal each added 17 points for the Huskies (17-2, 10-0 Big East), who have won 10 in a row. Dorka Juhasz scored 14 points.

Jessica Carrothers and Sydney Janes each had seven points for the Bulldogs (7-13, 2-9)

Butler surprised the Huskies early with a 13-0 run that put the Bulldogs up 13-4. But UConn held Butler scoreless for the last 5:13 of the first quarter and trailed just 13-10 after 10 minutes.

The Huskies regained the lead 18-16 on a jumper by Griffin as part of a 21-4 run that saw the Huskies take a 25-17 lead.

Lopez Senechal had 14 of her points before intermission and the Huskies, who won the teams’ first meeting this season by 33 points on Jan. 3, led 36-19 at the half.

The Huskies outscored Butler 38-14 in the paint and 21-5 on the fast break.

HUKSIES' HEALTH

UConn announced Friday that leading scorer Azzi Fudd, who re-injured her right knee last Sunday against Georgetown, will be on crutches for two weeks before being re-evaluated. Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson remain in concussion protocol.

The program’s health problems even extend to their mascot, Jonathan the Husky dog, who underwent surgery last week.

BIG PICTURE

Butler: Has never beaten UConn, falling to 0-5 since the teams first met in 2021.

UConn: This was the first of five games in 11 days for the Huskies, a stretch that will include a visit to Tennessee on Thursday.

UP NEXT

Butler: Travels to St. John's on Wednesday.

UConn: Hosts DePaul on Monday in game that was postponed earlier this month when the Huskies did not have the minimum number of healthy players required to take the court.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25