UConn Huskies Make History With Rout Of Notre Dame

The stage was set for a classic rivalry showdown on January 19, 2026, as the top-ranked UConn Huskies welcomed the No. 23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a sold-out Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. With a 34-game winning streak on the line and the memory of three consecutive losses to Notre Dame still fresh, UConn’s women’s basketball team had plenty to prove—and by the final buzzer, they had delivered a performance for the ages, dismantling the Irish 85-47 in front of a raucous home crowd.

From the opening tip, the Huskies looked every bit the nation’s No. 1 team. Their suffocating defense set the tone, holding Notre Dame without a field goal for the first six minutes and racing out to an 11-1 lead. The Irish, who came into the contest with a 12-5 record and plenty of offensive firepower, struggled to find any rhythm early. UConn’s relentless pressure forced Notre Dame into missed shots and turnovers, and by the end of the first quarter, the Huskies led 16-7. The home fans—especially the student section—made sure the Irish felt every bit of the Gampel Pavilion’s energy, with chants and jeers echoing throughout the night.

Despite Notre Dame’s best efforts to claw back in the second quarter, the Huskies never let up. Both teams traded baskets, each scoring 16 points in the frame, but UConn maintained a 32-23 advantage at halftime. Hannah Hidalgo, the Irish’s dynamic guard, found her groove in the second, tallying 10 of her team-high 16 points before the break. Yet, the Huskies’ defense, led by the quick-footed KK Arnold, made every possession a battle. Arnold, who drew the tough assignment of guarding Hidalgo, pestered the star guard all night, limiting her to just 5-of-15 shooting and forcing her into difficult looks.

“Defense is something that we’ve really taken pride in this season, but we felt really prepared, really confident, and knew our scout,” said UConn’s Azzi Fudd, who contributed 15 points to the cause. The Huskies’ preparation was evident, as they held Notre Dame to a season-worst 6.3% from three-point range and just 47 total points—the Irish’s lowest output since January 2024.

While UConn’s defense was stifling, the offense was equally impressive. Sophomore sensation Sarah Strong put on a clinic, notching her sixth double-double of the year with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and three steals. Strong’s versatility was on full display, as she became the third-fastest player in UConn history to reach 1,000 career points, achieving the milestone in just 59 games. “I thought the first two quarters, we spent a lot of time, too much time, I think, trying to get the perfect shot, trying to get everything exactly right,” head coach Geno Auriemma reflected. “And that’s not who we are. I thought we weren’t as aggressive as we can be. We weren’t in the attacking mode, like we have been, like we can be. … I think in the first half, maybe, we were just trying too hard to be perfect, to win the game perfectly instead of just playing.”

Whatever adjustments UConn made at halftime paid immediate dividends. The Huskies opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run, sparked by a steal-and-score from Fudd and back-to-back three-pointers from Arnold and Ashlynn Shade. The Irish simply couldn’t keep up. UConn outscored Notre Dame 27-6 over the first eight minutes of the quarter, ballooning the lead to 59-29. The Huskies’ depth was on full display, with Shade adding 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists, and Arnold chipping in 12 points, five assists, and two steals. When Arnold finally checked out with 3:40 remaining, she flexed and fist-bumped her way down the bench, a fitting celebration for a dominant performance.

“I thought this is the best game that she’s played since she’s been at Connecticut, because, you know, it’s a mentality to play really well against a really good player,” Auriemma said of Arnold’s effort on Hidalgo. “Yeah, you’ve got to have some strategy and all that. But I think it’s a mentality. (Hidalgo’s) one of the top guards in America, and so you gotta go out there with a certain mindset.”

UConn’s offensive fireworks continued in the fourth quarter, as they outscored the Irish 26-16 to close out the game. The 38-point margin was the largest ever in the storied rivalry between the two programs, surpassing the previous record set back in 2002. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to Notre Dame and extended UConn’s own winning streak to 35 games, tying the sixth-longest in program history. The Huskies now boast a 40-16 all-time record against the Irish, who fell to 12-6 on the season.

For Notre Dame, the night was a humbling reminder of the gap between them and the nation’s elite. In addition to Hidalgo’s 16 points, Cassandre Prosper finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals, but the Irish never found an answer for UConn’s relentless two-way attack. “UConn showed why they’re the best team in the country,” said Irish head coach Niele Ivey, acknowledging her squad’s struggles against the Huskies’ depth and intensity.

Adding to UConn’s impressive feat, they played with a short roster, missing Jana El Alfy (concussion protocol) and Caroline Ducharme (illness). But even with only 11 available players, the Huskies’ bench and starters alike rose to the occasion, feeding off the energy of a crowd that was the loudest Gampel Pavilion had seen all season. The student section, never one to shy away from gamesmanship, made their presence felt every time Hidalgo went to the free-throw line, booing and waving oversized cutouts to distract her.

The win capped a banner day for women’s college basketball, with other top teams like Ohio State and Vanderbilt also notching important victories. But it was UConn’s statement win over Notre Dame that stole the headlines, reaffirming their status as the team to beat this season. The Huskies, now 19-0 and still perfect, will look to carry their momentum into their next matchup as they hit the road to face Georgetown on January 22. Notre Dame, meanwhile, returns home to regroup before a key ACC showdown with Miami.

As the final seconds ticked away in Storrs, there was little doubt left—UConn had not only snapped their losing streak to Notre Dame but had done so in historic, emphatic fashion. With their sights set on another deep postseason run, the Huskies sent a clear message to the rest of the country: the road to the title still runs through Connecticut.