Photo by Sydney Carroll
On Thursday, Jan. 22, the Georgetown Hoyas (11-8, 4-6 BIG EAST) faced off against the No. 1 University of Connecticut Huskies (20-0, 10-0 BIG EAST) at CareFirst Arena across the Anacostia River. The Huskies, undefeated thus far in regular season play, proved to be too tough for the Hoyas to topple, especially with sophomore forward Sarah Strong’s showstopping performance. The Hoyas fell 42-83.
Both the Hoyas and the Huskies needed time to settle in: neither team scored for the first minute and a half of the game. UConn made the first move, however, setting the tone for the match. Strong pushed in a driving layup to put UConn on the board.
She and UConn graduate guard Azzi Fudd made the first six shots of the game—Georgetown finally racked up their first points with 4:50 remaining in the first quarter. Junior forward Brianna Byars hit that first pullup jumper off sophomore guard Summer Davis’s assist.
Their efforts, even at this early junction, were the definition of too little, too late. UConn surged forward under the helm of Strong (4-5 field goals) and Fudd (4-9 field goals). The Huskies had a fourteen-point scoring run in the first quarter and were up 20-2 with three minutes left in the quarter.
The Hoyas lost control of the ball nine times in the first quarter alone, resulting in ten UConn points. They recovered just enough to end the quarter with an eight-point run. UConn was up 20-10.
Strong kept up her spectacular showing in the first half, capitalizing on UConn’s steals and sinking a smooth three around the 7:30 mark in the second quarter. The Hoyas could not stop the UConn tide. Strong continued her downright dominance with a fade-away jumper, not giving the Hoyas the opportunity to make a dent in the Huskies’ 46-17 lead. At this point, she had already notched three steals and two assists on top of her scoring successes.
The Huskies scored nineteen points from fast breaks in the first half, while the Hoyas made just two. That, shooting just 33% from the field, and a complete lack of second chance points spelled Georgetown’s demise. With such a score, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Hoyas appeared flustered with the ball in their hands.
Georgetown’s cohesion did not improve in the second half. The UConn defense stymied Georgetown right off the bat, leading sophomore guard Destiny Agubata to airball a three as the shot clock went off.
The Huskies’ confident cross-court passes opened up several chances for scoring, many of which they made. Meanwhile, the Hoyas battled to win space under the hoop. The tight Husky defense limited the Hoyas to passes around the horn and even an ensuing shot clock violation.
UConn kept chugging, mixing quick passes with nimble twists between defenders. Sophomore guard Allie Ziebell contributed to their lead with a corner three towards the end of the quarter. Fans and bench players alike fired up, but the period ended on a cool note after both teams airballed their last shots. UConn was up, 60-28.
Georgetown’s field goal percentage fell in the third to just 19%. The Hoyas missed all of the fourteen three point shots they attempted up to this point.
While the Hoyas started the last quarter strong with a layup conversion off a steal, the Huskies were unstoppable. Strong tossed a pass up to redshirt sophomore forward Ayanna Patterson for a jump shot, much to the raucous approval of the large UConn crowd.
Junior guard KK Arnold forced another turnover from Georgetown, feeding it to Fudd for a flying finish with seven minutes left in the game. Arnold did it again on the very next Hoya ball, this time sending it to Strong for another fast break layup. Costly defensive struggles sent Georgetown to call a time out, down 30-70.
Fudd did not fumble in the fourth, sinking an easy three while the Hoyas struggled with jumpers.
The Hoyas found a spark when graduate guard Laila Jewett capitalized on a UConn foul and proceeded to sink a 15-foot turnaround jump shot. The spark faded just as quickly when she missed consecutive free throws from another UConn foul.
Sophomore guard Khadee Hession put her stamp on the game with Georgetown’s only successful three-pointer out of nineteen total attempts. The game was characterized by such inconsistent Hoya performances that only served to punctuate UConn’s prowess.
The Georgetown bench remained engaged throughout the end of the game, standing for their teammates’ shots and applauding their efforts even after both teams sat most of their starters around the three minute mark of the final quarter. The final score was 83-42, UConn.
Georgetown’s highest scorer was senior forward Brianna Scott, notching just eight points and two rebounds. Those numbers stand in stark contrast to the UConn leaders: Strong finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists over 31 minutes. Fudd, her runner-up, scored 19 points with six rebounds and five assists.
Many fans in the arena sported Fudd jerseys, who, in her fifth year of play, carries on head coach Geno Auriemma’s basketball dynasty. He and the UConn team won their 12th NCAA Championship in 2025, beating three No. 1 seeds in the process. Fudd herself comes from a basketball legacy: her mother, Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd, is the Georgetown Hoyas’ second highest all-time leading scorer. She was also the first female basketball player drafted into the WNBA from Georgetown.
The Hoyas, who still have a winning overall record, look to bounce back Saturday, Jan. 24 at 9:30 a.m. EST against Xavier (10-9, 3-7 BIG EAST) in Cincinnati.
