The top-10 women’s basketball matchup between No. 1 UConn and No. 9 Michigan, the first meeting between the two programs, lived up to the billing on Friday.
The Huskies defeated the Wolverines 72-69 at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, cutting Michigan’s gutsy comeback just short.
UConn completely dominated the first half of the contest and built up a 20 point lead by the third quarter. Just when it looked like UConn was going to cruise to its fifth win of the season, Michigan upped the pressure and completely changed the momentum of the game with an 18-2 run to close the third quarter down by four points.
The Huskies showed their experience and quickly stretched their lead back to 13 points with 3:37 remaining, but the Wolverines never faltered and continued coming at the Huskies. Michigan sophomore guard Syla Swords knocked down three of her eight 3-pointers in the final minute of the contest, including a deep 3 with 13 seconds remaining to come within one point, 70-69.
What ensued next was utter chaos. Michigan fouled UConn’s Azzi Fudd with eight seconds remaining and Fudd made both her free throws to go up 72-69. Michigan’s Olivia Olson inbounded the ball to Swords, who was stripped in the backcourt by UConn’s KK Arnold. Ashlynn Shade then turned the ball over to Michigan’s McKenzie Mathurin, but the Wolverines weren’t able to get a final shot off.
UConn improves to 46-1 all-time at Mohegan Sun Arena. UConn is 136-56 all-time in games where both teams are ranked in the top 10. This was the first meeting between UConn and Michigan.
Azzi Fudd finished with a game-high 31 points, two steals and two blocks, while Sarah Strong added 16 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, four blocks and three steals.
Swords had 29 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort, while Olson added 18 points and 10 rebounds.
UConn vs. Michigan highlights
End of Q3: UConn 49, Michigan 45
We have a ball game at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Michigan trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but the Wolverines went on an 18-2 run to cut their deficit to four points. UConn had six turnovers in the third quarter, which fueled Michigan’s comeback and the Wolverines outscored the Huskies 18-4 in the frame.
Syla Swords scored nine points in the third quarter and has a team-high 17 points, while Olivia Olson is up to 12 points.
The Huskies shot 2-of-15 from the field in the third quarter. UConn has not scored since the 6:19 mark.
Halftime: UConn 45, Michigan 27
UConn guard Azzi Fudd ended the second quarter with an exclamation point after knocking down a buzzer-beating jumper to push the Huskies’ lead over Michigan to 18 points at halftime.
The Huskies have been utterly dominant. UConn is shooting 46% from the field and 6-of-17 from the 3-point line, while holding the Wolverines to 28% from the field and 5-of-17 from 3. That’s a major feat considering the Wolverines are averaging 99.2 points per game this season, the fourth highest-scoring offense in the nation.
Fudd has a team-high 18 points and two steals for the Huskies, while sophomore forward Sarah Strong already has a double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals in 20 minutes of play.
Michigan appeared to settle in during the second quarter, scoring 22 points in the frame compared to only five points in the first quarter, but the Wolverines are still struggling to take care of the ball with 10 total turnovers in the half.
Michigan sophomore guard Olivia Olson leads the Wolverines with nine points (4-of-10 FG, 1-of-5 3PT), while sophomore guard Syla Swords added eight points (2-of-12 FG, 2-of-6 3PT).
UConn first meeting vs. Michigan
End of Q1: UConn 22, Michigan 5
UConn showed why it’s the top-ranked team in the nation following a dominant first-quarter performance. The Huskies came out with their foot on the gas on Friday and built a 17-point lead, while holding the Wolverines to five points through the first 10 minutes.
Michigan shot a dismal 2-of-20 from the field and 1-of-7 from the 3-point line due to the constant pressure applied by the Huskies. UConn forced Michigan into five turnovers, which the Huskies converted to five points.
Sarah Strong and Ashlynn Shade each scored six points for UConn in the first quarter. Strong is already up to nine rebounds, rounding out her stat line with three blocks, one assist and one steal in 10 minutes of play. Azzi Fudd added five points and two steals.
Michigan’s Syla Swords has three points, while Olivia Olson added two points.
UConn jumps to 10-3 lead vs. Michigan
The top-10 showdown between UConn and Michigan is underway at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, which is less than 30 miles from Storrs, Connecticut.
Both teams came out with early jitters and missed some shots early on, but Huskies forward Sarah Strong opened up the scoring with a layup nearly two minutes into the game. Strong has done a little bit of everything so far. She’s up to four points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block as the Huskies lead 10-3 with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter.
Michigan sophomore guard Syla Swords got the Wolverines on the board with a 3-pointer, Michigan’s only field goal so far. Michigan is 1-of-7 from the field.
What time is Michigan vs. UConn women’s basketball?
Top-ranked UConn (4-0) faces No. 6 Michigan (4-0) in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 21, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Michigan vs. UConn: TV, streaming
Date: Friday, Nov. 21
Time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
TV: FOX
Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited
UConn Huskies starting lineup
(2) KK Arnold
(12) Ashlynn Shade
(21) Sarah Strong
(22) Serah Williams
(35) Azzi Fudd
UConn women’s basketball roster
Michigan Wolverines starting lineup
Head coach: Kim Barnes Arico
(1) Olivia Olson
(3) Mila Holloway
(5) Brooke Quarles Daniels
(12) Syla Swords
(15) Ashley Sofilkanich
Michigan women’s basketball roster
Check out UConn’s championship rings
The ‘Power of Friendship’ lifted the UConn women’s basketball team to the program’s 12th national championship in April and the phrase has been commemorated forever in the team’s new bling.
Nearly seven months after the Huskies defeated South Carolina 82-59 in the 2025 NCAA championship game to win the university’s first title since 2016, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers returned to Storrs, Connecticut, to receive the first national championship ring of her career alongside former teammates.
‘The power of friendship … is the reason that we did win it,’ said Bueckers, who helped design the ring alongside Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme. ‘We just went off of straight vibes and we stuck together through it all.’
From facing UConn to fueling them: Kayleigh Heckel’s seamless transition
STORRS, Conn. — If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
That may not be exactly how sophomore Kayleigh Heckel ended up playing for No. 1-ranked UConn, but it is true that she finished her freshman season at USC with a loss to the team she ended up joining after entering the transfer portal.
‘My last game at USC was against UConn,’ Heckel said in a video posted by UConn prior to the season. ‘The stakes were high, was the Elite Eight game, so excited to be on this side now.’ Read full story here.
UConn freshman Blanca Quiñonez latest target of Auriemma’s tough love
UConn freshman Blanca Quiñonez, who Auriemma jokes ‘leads the free world in turnovers,’ is the most recent recipient of Auriemma’s affection. The Ecuador native played in her second collegiate game Nov. 16, scoring 18 points but also turning the ball over five times.
UConn remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball poll
The defending champion Connecticut Huskies remain in the No. 1 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday, Nov. 18. UConn looks to become the first repeat champion since winning four straight from 2013-16.
USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
UConn (4-0)
South Carolina (4-0)
UCLA (5-0)
Texas (4-0)
LSU (5-0)
Maryland (5-0)
Oklahoma (4-1)
TCU (4-0)
Michigan (3-0)
Baylor (4-0)
USC (2-1)
North Carolina (3-1)
Tennessee (3-1)
Ole Miss (3-0)
Iowa State (5-0)
North Carolina State (2-2)
Vanderbilt (3-0)
Kentucky (5-0)
Louisville (3-1)
Iowa (4-0)
Oklahoma State (5-0)
West Virginia (4-0)
Notre Dame (3-1)
Duke (3-2)
Michigan State (4-0)
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