STORRS, Conn. — Freshman Paige Bueckers scored 23 points and No. 2 UConn overcame an early 11-point deficit Wednesday night to beat Seton Hall 70-49.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Huskies (15-1, 12-0 Big East), who were coming off Monday’s overtime win over top-ranked South Carolina.
Mya Jackson and former UConn player Andra Espinoza-Hunter each had 15 points for Seton Hall (9-4, 7-3), which had won its last five games and six of its last seven.
The Pirates led 21-10 early in the second quarter and held a 27-26 advantage at halftime, forcing 13 UConn turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
But the Huskies used a 12-0 third-quarter run to take a 47-37 lead, before the Pirates cut that back to 49-43 on a 3-pointer by Espinoza-Hunter.
Bueckers scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and the Huskies outscored Seton Hall 21-6 in the final frame.
Desiree Elmore had 10 of her 12 points in the first-quarter for Seton Hall.
Evina Westbrook had 12 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 11 for the Huskies, who outscored the Pirates 40-18 in the paint.
BIG PICTURE
Seton Hall: Espinoza-Hunter transferred from UConn after her freshman season and spent two years at Mississippi State. She had originally opted out of this season because of COVID-19 concerns, but instead transferred to Seton Hall and in December was granted a waiver to play by the NCAA.
UConn: The Huskies, who spent the last seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference, have not lost to a league opponent in 151 games, since falling to Notre Dame in the Big East championship game in 2013.... Bueckers has now scored 20 points or more in six straight games.
UP NEXT
Seton Hall: The Pirates head home to host Creighton on Saturday.
UConn: The Huskies are scheduled to travel to Washington D.C. for a game at Georgetown on Friday.