Big East tournament roundup: No. 3 UConn crushes St. John's

Field Level Media|published: Sat 8th March, 17:13 2025

Mar 8, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) defends against St. John's Red Storm guard Ariana Vanderhoop (1) in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and Sarah Strong had 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks as No. 3 UConn blew past St. John's 71-40 in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.

Top-seeded UConn outshot eighth-seeded St. John's 45.3 percent to 28.6 percent and forced 16 turnovers while committing only four. The Huskies (29-3), who also got 11 points from Azzi Fudd, will face Villanova in the semifinals.

St. John's made its first shot of the game for a 2-0 lead but proceeded to finish the first quarter 1-for-11 with six turnovers, letting UConn race ahead 18-2. Kaitlyn Chen made it 22-2 early in the second on a fastbreak jumper. The Huskies cruised despite shooting 2-for-19 from 3-point range.

Ariana Vanderhoop and Kylie Lavelle each scored 11 points and Lashae Dwyer had 10 for the Red Storm (16-15).

Villanova 73, Marquette 66

Jasmine Bascoe tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the fifth-seeded Wildcats got past the fourth-seeded Golden Eagles.

Maddie Burke also scored 18 and Maddie Webber had 10 points with five assists for Villanova (18-13), which narrowly won all four quarters to keep Marquette at bay. The Wildcats outscored the Golden Eagles 27-6 at the 3-point line and turned 12 takeaways into 14 points.

Skylar Forbes racked up 20 points and eight rebounds for Marquette (20-10). Halle Vice added 17 and nine, respectively.

--Field Level Media