UConn women sink Huskies-record 20 3s in loss to Iowa State

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – No. 4 UConn sank a program-record 20 3-pointers in a 101-68 win over Iowa State on Tuesday night in the second game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase doubleheader.

The Huskies significantly exceeded their season-high of 14 3-pointers and converted 58.8% of their attempts (20 of 34) against the Cyclones, who were 8 of 25 from deep.

“Basketball is a game about making a shot and making a miss and they did a lot of them and that’s to their credit. They’re a great team,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “They play the game the right way. So there was just nothing we could do to stop it.”

“The way they shot the ball was unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time.”

UConn sophomore Ashlynn Shade had seven 3-pointers, both career highs, en route to 27 points.

“I really didn’t expect that. I thought we were going to have a tough time,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “I said, ‘We have to win the three-point battle by a significant margin because they score nine points a game.’

“If the basket looks big at the start, it gets bigger as the game goes on, and some players make their first two or three thinking they can make the next 23.”

Shade was 6 of 6 from beyond the arc in the first quarter and scored 20 points.

“It means everything to be a part of something so big, to be a part of UConn history,” said Shade, who was 7 out of 10 from deep on the night. “It’s just super surreal.”

The Huskies also got a quintet of three-pointers from freshman Sarah Strong (5 of 9, career-high 29 points) and senior Paige Bueckers (5 of 7, 27 points).

It was the first time in the last 25 seasons that UConn had three players each score at least 25 points in a game. No other Division I team has had three players accomplish that this season.

Bueckers, Shade and Strong are also the first D-1 trio to each score at least 25 points and make five 3-pointers in the same game in the last 25 seasons.

Freshman Allie Ziebell made UConn’s 19th 3-pointer of the night, tying the program record (previously set in 2014-15 and 2008-09) with 3:19 left in the game, before classmate Morgan Cheli joined in 2:04 came in 20th place.

“It would have been a bad HORSE game the way they managed it,” Fennelly said.

Shade added: “It was just super cool to be a part of it and the game was just so much fun to play.”

Shade’s 3-point burst in particular was welcomed and gave the Huskies a third key scorer. They missed that recently with guard Azzi Fudd sitting out the last three games with a knee sprain.

“I think we’re going to need three real scorers all season,” Auriemma said. “I don’t really care where they come from, but hopefully we’ll have at least four when Azzi gets back.”

UConn faces No. 7 USC on Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut, in its second top-10 matchup this month. It lost to then-No. 8 Notre Dame last week.

No. 5 LSU defeated Seton Hall in the opening game of the Women’s Showcase here early Tuesday.

Information from ESPN Research was used in this report.