Allie Ziebell Ties UConn Record In Blowout Win Over Xavier

On a chilly Wednesday night in Storrs, Connecticut, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team once again showed why they sit atop the national rankings, dispatching the Xavier Musketeers 97-39 in front of a lively crowd of 10,244 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. While the final score was lopsided, this contest was anything but ordinary—thanks to a historic shooting display by UConn sophomore guard Allie Ziebell, who set the arena ablaze with a record-tying barrage from beyond the arc.

From the opening tip, the Musketeers looked determined to challenge the Huskies. Xavier, entering the game at 10-10 (3-8 BIG EAST), managed to grab an early 15-12 advantage on a Meri Kanerva three-pointer with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. The Musketeers hit half of their shots in the opening frame, keeping pace with the nation’s top team and momentarily quieting the home crowd.

But as quickly as Xavier’s lead materialized, UConn snatched it away. The Huskies closed the first quarter on a 10-2 run, taking a 22-17 lead into the second and never looking back. Despite a sluggish start—UConn began the game 0-for-10 from three-point range and trailed for nearly three minutes—the Huskies’ depth and resilience came to the fore, even with a roster thinned by injuries and illness.

UConn was without starting center Serah Williams (ankle), third-leading scorer Blanca Quiñonez (shoulder), and key reserves Caroline Ducharme (migraine) and Gandy Malou-Mamel (illness). Morgan Cheli and Ice Brady were also sidelined with long-term injuries. With only nine players available, head coach Geno Auriemma needed someone to step up. Enter Allie Ziebell.

After missing her first two attempts from deep, Ziebell found her rhythm late in the first quarter, draining UConn’s first three-pointer of the night off a feed from Kayleigh Heckel. What followed was nothing short of spectacular. Ziebell went on to tie the UConn single-game record with 10 made three-pointers, joining the elite company of Maya Moore, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and Katie Lou Samuelson. She finished with a career-high 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including an astonishing 10-for-14 from beyond the arc—the most points ever scored by a UConn player off the bench.

"I had absolutely no idea (about the record)," Ziebell admitted after the game. "I didn’t really know until Coach said it after the game. But honestly when you’re shooting and they’re going in, you just know you’re in that rhythm. My teammates did such a good job of finding me, and you could tell how happy they were." (According to UConn Women’s Basketball postgame coverage.)

Her teammates and the Gampel Pavilion faithful certainly took notice. Ziebell received two standing ovations, and the student section erupted into chants of "Let’s go, Allie!" as she rained down threes—four of which came in a blistering four-and-a-half-minute stretch to start the fourth quarter. After her tenth triple, the bench leaped in celebration, and Ziebell was greeted with a jubilant water bottle shower in the locker room.

Coach Auriemma, who has witnessed his share of legendary performances, was effusive in his praise. "While they’re happening, you’re not counting, like, ‘Hey, that’s five. That’s six.’ But the number isn’t as impressive to me as watching her just play with so much confidence and shoot the ball. That’s the Allie that I saw in high school. That’s the Allie that I saw every summer. That’s the kid who we recruited, and why we recruited her, because she’s a tough kid. She’s good with the ball in her hands. She’s smart, and it’s just been fun watching her."

Ziebell’s offensive explosion was the spark UConn needed after a rocky opening. The Huskies outscored Xavier 21-7 in the second quarter, shooting a scorching 71.4% from three-point range after a frigid 7.7% in the first. By halftime, UConn led 43-24, with Ziebell and sophomore forward Sarah Strong combining for 34 of those points. Strong, for her part, turned in a stellar all-around performance with 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

While Ziebell and Strong powered the offense, UConn’s defense clamped down. The Huskies forced Xavier into a season-high 34 turnovers and converted those miscues into a staggering 48 points. Junior guard Ashlynn Shade set career highs with nine steals and six assists, adding 12 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Kayleigh Heckel contributed a career-best eight rebounds and eight assists, further highlighting the team’s depth.

For the Musketeers, the night started with promise but quickly unraveled under UConn’s relentless pressure. Mariyah Noel led Xavier with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Meri Kanerva chipped in 11 points. Savannah White battled on the boards, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds to go with six points and two blocks. But the Musketeers struggled to take care of the ball and could not keep pace once UConn’s shooters caught fire.

Xavier shot 37.8% from the floor and just 2-for-13 from three, compared to UConn’s 52.2% overall and a blistering 44.1% from deep (15-for-34). The Huskies also held narrow edges in rebounds (32-31) and dominated in second-chance points (11-2), fastbreak points (19-6), and points in the paint (34-20).

Star UConn guard Azzi Fudd had an uncharacteristically tough outing, shooting 1-for-9 in the first half and missing a free throw for the first time since the 2025 Sweet 16—a streak of 40 consecutive made free throws snapped. "That was a really, really difficult night for Azzi," Auriemma noted. "I don’t know that she’s 100% all there right now. Her presence on the floor is worth a lot, because the other team doesn’t know she’s going to miss the next seven. They just think, we have to guard her." Fudd finished with a season-low six points but still played a key role in UConn’s defensive scheme.

The night also featured a special moment before tip-off, as former Husky and current Connecticut Sun star Aaliyah Edwards was inducted into the Huskies of Honor. Edwards led the crowd in a spirited “UConn-Huskies” chant, her No. 3 jersey now immortalized on the arena wall—a reminder of the program’s storied tradition and the excellence that current players like Ziebell aspire to match.

With the win, UConn improved to a perfect 22-0 (12-0 BIG EAST), extending their winning streak to 38 games and solidifying their place as the team to beat. Xavier, now 10-11 (3-9 BIG EAST), will look to regroup as they prepare to host Butler on February 1 at Cintas Center, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. and coverage on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network.

As the Huskies look ahead to a marquee matchup against No. 15 Tennessee, the buzz around Ziebell’s record night will linger. Performances like this—born from adversity, fueled by confidence, and celebrated by teammates and fans alike—are what make college basketball unforgettable.