Allie Ziebell Ties UConn Record With Ten Threes In Rout

STORRS, Conn. — On a chilly Wednesday night inside Gampel Pavilion, Allie Ziebell lit up the court and the crowd, tying a UConn women’s basketball record with a jaw-dropping 10 made three-pointers in a single game. The sophomore guard’s performance powered the No. 2 Huskies to a resounding 97-39 victory over Xavier, stretching UConn’s unbeaten run to 22-0 on the season and marking their 38th consecutive win overall.

From the opening tip, the game had the makings of a challenge for UConn. The Huskies were missing several key players, including starting center Serah Williams (ankle injury) and star freshman Blanca Quinonez (shoulder injury). Head coach Geno Auriemma was forced to dig deep into his bench, with only nine players available. UConn’s offense sputtered early, missing its first 10 three-point attempts and struggling to find its usual rhythm. As frustration mounted, Xavier seized the moment, leading for nearly three minutes in the first quarter—longer than any Big East opponent had managed against the Huskies this season.

But then, Ziebell entered the game and the tide turned. Despite missing her first two shots from long range, she drilled UConn’s first triple of the night with 1:50 left in the opening quarter, breaking the lid off the basket and igniting the home crowd. What followed was nothing short of spectacular. Ziebell went on to make four consecutive three-pointers in the second quarter, helping the Huskies close the half on a 19-4 run. By halftime, UConn led 43-24, with Ziebell and fellow sophomore Sarah Strong combining for 34 of those points.

“Coach is kind of harping on, like, come in the game and do what you do, so I was just kind of focusing on that and trying to make an impact and just help,” Ziebell said following the game. “I know shots weren’t falling at first, but then coming and making them kind of gave us a little bit of a boost.”

The second half saw Ziebell’s confidence soar. She went a flawless 4-for-4 from deep in the first four-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, tying the UConn single-game record of 10 made threes—a mark previously held by program legends Maya Moore (2009), Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (2014), and Katie Lou Samuelson (2017). Ziebell finished with a career-high 34 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 10-of-14 from beyond the arc. Her point total is not only the most by any Husky this season but also the highest ever by a UConn reserve.

“I thought it was the best thing ever,” said Ashlynn Shade, who contributed 12 points, nine steals, six rebounds, and six assists. “Every time she hit a 3, I think I put my hands up and was like, running down the court, celebrating.”

The Gampel Pavilion crowd recognized the magnitude of Ziebell’s performance, showering her with two standing ovations and chanting her name. In the locker room, her teammates celebrated with a water bottle shower. “When you’re shooting, and they’re going in, you just know you’re in that rhythm,” Ziebell explained. “But my teammates did such a great job of just finding me, and like, you can tell how happy they were, and just they got so much joy out of it, clearly.”

Head coach Geno Auriemma was effusive in his praise. “That’s the Allie that I saw in high school. That’s the Allie that I saw every summer. That’s the kid that 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.”

Sarah Strong had a huge night of her own, pouring in 25 points—including 19 in the first half—while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Kayleigh Heckel added eight assists and eight rebounds, while Jena El Alfy, making her first start of the season in place of Williams, collected six rebounds. The Huskies’ defense was relentless, forcing 34 Xavier turnovers and converting them into 48 points. UConn also racked up 31 steals, compared to just eight for the Musketeers, and held Xavier to 37.8% shooting from the field and a mere 15.4% from three-point range.

For Xavier, Mariyah Noel and Meri Kanerva led the way with 11 points each, while Savannah White pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Noel also chipped in eight boards. Despite their efforts, Xavier found themselves stifled by UConn’s trademark suffocating defense, scoring single digits in each of the final three quarters.

UConn’s victory extended their Big East regular-season win streak to 50 games, tying them for the 12th-longest such run in Division I women’s basketball history. The Huskies now boast 59 consecutive league wins, including postseason contests. Their dominance over Xavier has been particularly pronounced, with an average margin of victory of 61.5 points in their last two meetings.

The night also featured a moment of celebration before tip-off, as former UConn star Aaliyah Edwards was inducted into the Huskies of Honor. Edwards, who started 106 games from 2020-2024 and tallied 1,861 points and 1,020 rebounds, led the crowd in a rousing “UConn-Huskies” chant as her No. 3 jersey was unveiled on the wall.

Despite the lopsided score, not everything went UConn’s way. Graduate guard Azzi Fudd struggled mightily, finishing with a season-low six points after missing most of her shots in the first half. “That was a really, really difficult night for Azzi,” Auriemma said. “I don’t know that she’s 100% all there, right now. We’ve had guys just, you know, stuff runs through your team throughout the season. So, she didn’t look like she was all there. But her presence on the floor is worth a lot.”

Looking ahead, UConn will host longtime rival No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday in Hartford, a matchup that promises to test the Huskies’ depth and resilience as they continue to navigate injuries. Xavier, meanwhile, will return home to face Butler.

As the Huskies march deeper into the season, Allie Ziebell’s record-tying night stands as a testament to the program’s enduring depth and the emergence of new stars ready to seize their moment. With the crowd still buzzing and the streak intact, UConn’s pursuit of perfection rolls on.