Paige Bueckers’ double-double helps No. 5 UConn roll past Butler, 86-47

Huskies have won five straight

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Paige Bueckers finished with 23 points and 10 assists, and Sarah Strong added 16 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 5 UConn to an 86-47 rout at Butler on Saturday.

Ashlynn Shade scored 14 points while Bueckers had three steals as the Huskies (26-3, 16-0) won their fifth straight since losing to then No. 19 Tennessee. They’ve won 16 of 17 since a mid-December home loss to then-No. 7 Southern California and moved within one win of clinching another outright regular season conference crown.

Kilyn McGuff and Lily Zeinstra each scored 13 points to lead Butler, which was playing in front of the first women’s game to be sold out at Hinkle Fieldhouse. McGuff’s father Kevin, who coaches Ohio State, was in the crowd for the game.

The Bulldogs (15-15, 5-12) fell to 0-8 all-time against UConn in front of a heavily partisan Huskies crowd. And it was never really close.

The Huskies closed the first quarter on a 17-3 run and opened the second with six straight points to take a 27-9 lead. They extended the halftime margin to 42-17 and maintained that edge throughout the second half.

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UConn guard Caroline Ducharme played in her first game since suffering a head injury last season.

Takeaways

UConn: Bueckers & Co. continue to overwhelm the Big East. Nobody has figured out how to slow down this team and with the balanced attack improving each game, the Huskies seem primed for yet another Final Four run.

Butler: The injury-depleted Bulldogs really didn’t have a chance. With two key players, Sydney Jaynes and Lily Carmody playing through injuries, coach Austin Parkinson’s squad did the best it could against one of the nation’s most dominant teams and came up short.

Key moment

Strong’s back-to-back baskets midway through the first quarter gave UConn the only lead it needed, starting the decisive run 23-3 run.

Key stat

Butler lost the turnover battle 22-8 and was outscored 31-5 on points off turnovers.

Up next

The Huskies can clinch their 24th Big East title Thursday when they host No. 23 Creighton. Butler closes the regular season Wednesday at Villanova.