Olivia Nelson-Ododa hit all nine of her shots from the floor and scored 24 points to lead No. 3 UConn to an 80-47 rout of Creighton in the Huskies’ Big East home opener on Thursday night.
Christyn Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies (3-0, 2-0 Big East). Anna Makurat scored 12 points and freshman Paige Bueckers finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
UConn was playing its third game in six days after having its first four games postponed or canceled because of a positive coronavirus test in the program.
Emma Ronsiek scored 11 points for Creighton (2-4, 1-1), which lost starting guard Rachel Saunders to a knee injury in the first quarter.
UConn dominated from the start, opening the game on an 8-0 run that included three layups.
Bueckers gave the Huskies their first double-digit lead at 18-7 by following up her own miss.
That was part of a 23-0 run over just under nine minutes that saw the Huskies take control of the game and stretch their lead to 33-7. UConn led 36-12 at the half.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: The Bluejays came into the game averaging about 10 3-point baskets on almost 30 shots a game from behind the arc. Creighton was just 7 of 29 from behind the arc Thursday, missing all 11 of their 3-point attempts in the decisive first half.
UConn: The Huskies dominated underneath, outscoring Creighton 42-20 in the paint and outrebounding the Bluejays 43-25. Outside shooting continues to be a concern for the Huskies, who shot just 5 of 14 from behind the arc. UConn came into the game just 9 of 35 from 3-point range (just under 26%).
UP NEXT
UConn: The Huskies are scheduled to host Xavier on Saturday, which would be their fourth game since Dec. 12.
Creighton: The Bluejays continue their East Coast swing with a trip to Pennsylvania on Saturday for a game against Villanova.
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