UConn just added another win to its tally, and a big part of it is thanks to Sarah Strong reaching a level only stars like Paige Bueckers have managed.

The sophomore etched her name in Huskies history finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds on 20th January, as UConn beat Notre Dame. She reached the mark with a three-pointer in the first half, becoming the third-fastest player in UConn history.

Strong hit the milestone in just 59 career games, trailing behind elites like Maya Moore and Paige Bueckers. Both the former Huskies accomplished the feat in 55 games.

ESPN’s Alexa Philippou noted something that makes Strong's achievement even more impressive. She added on X, “Strong is, notably, not even averaging 30 minutes per game this season”. The 19-year-old leads the Big East conference in average points per game (18.7) in over 1600 minutes played.

The win snapped UConn’s three-game losing streak against the Fighting Irish and extended its overall winning streak to 19 games. The 85-47 victory came on the back of UConn’s overall dominance.

Coach Geno Auriemma appreciated her effort. “It is because, one, she doesn’t need a lot of shots. I would love to see if anybody has scored 1,000 points by taking fewer shots than she’s taken. She’s so efficient. I’m not surprised that she’s gotten to 1,000 this quickly because it’s consistent every night. She doesn’t go two or three games where she comes up empty with three or four points, five points, six points."

But Sarah Strong Has Still Room to Improve

Even with his praise, Coach Auriemma maintains a winning mindset to keep his team sharp.

"I don’t know. I don’t know that I could sit here and map it out for you because whatever I say, she’s already doing itywhere...So two more years of getting better. I’m anxious to see where it goes, but I know it’s not going to stay the same. And believe me, if you were to come tomorrow and watch film, you’d go, ‘Yeah, there’s some work to be done.’"

Do you think she will be UConn's biggest asset for the remainder of the season?

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar