Strong, Fudd star as top-ranked UConn rolls past St. John's for 32nd consecutive victory

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UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) shoots as St. John's guard Brooke Moore (10) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

UConn guard Azzi Fudd (35) steals the ball from St. John's guard Shaulana Wagner (8) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) — UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) shoots as St. John's guard Brooke Moore (10) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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6:30 PM on Wednesday, January 7

By JIM FULLER

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Sarah Strong scored 19 of her 24 points in the first half as No. 1 UConn topped visiting St. John's 88-43 on Wednesday night to extend its winning streak to 32 games.

Azzi Fudd had 16 points and extended her streak of consecutive made free throws to 34. KK Arnold added 11 points and Blanca Quinonez had 14 points for UConn (16-0, 7-0 in the Big East), which had 23 steals and won its 45th consecutive Big East regular-season game.

The last conference loss came to St. John’s on Feb. 21, 2023, in Hartford. UConn's Caroline Ducharme was the only player to get into Wednesday's matchup who also played in that contest.

Beautiful Waheed had 14 points for St. John's (13-4, 3-3) and Sa'Mya Wyatt had nine points.

UConn hit its first nine shots to race out to a 20-2 lead. The Huskies scored 18 points off 12 turnovers by St. John's to take a 28-9 lead after one quarter. The Huskies scored eight points before the Red Storm attempted their first shot.

Waheed and Daniela Abies had three points each during an 8-0 run by the Red Storm to cut the lead to 13. UConn scored the next 15 points and took a 50-22 lead at halftime.

Strong, who scored in double figures in her 30th consecutive game, was named USA Basketball's 2025 Female 3X3 Athlete of the Year after averaging 7.6 points and a tournament-best 7.6 rebounds in the five games for the United States in the 2025 FIBA 3x3 World Cup.

UConn sophomore center Jana El Alfy, who averaged 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds over her previous three games, missed the game after suffering a concussion in practice.

UP NEXT

St. John's: Hosts Butler on Saturday.

UConn: Plays at Creighton on Sunday.

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