Sarah Strong stats tonight- How did the UConn star fare vs Holy Cross (Dec 3)
Sarah Strong led the UConn Huskies to an 88-52 win against the Holy Cross Crusaders on Tuesday. The freshman posted a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 9 of 12 from the floor (75%). She converted 4 of 5 3-point attempts.
The Huskies only led by one (11-10) after the first quarter. Strong’s first points came from the 3-point line in the second quarter, giving UConn a much-needed scoring boost. While star Paige Bueckers only shot 1 of 4 in the half, Sarah Strong ended the half with 12 points while shooting 57% from the field (5-7).
As coach Geno Auriemma questioned his roster's passive approach at halftime, a triple from Strong helped UConn regain the momentum. She scored 10 points in the third quarter, giving the Huskies a significant 57-39 lead.
Tuesday’s outing was the 6-foot-2 forward's second 20-point display and the best game of her college basketball career. She scored 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists while shooting over 60% in an 85-41 win against FDU on Nov. 20. The win also made Geno Auriemma the winningest coach in college basketball history (men’s and women’s).
Geno Auriemma praises Sarah Strong's performance
Even though Geno Auriemma believes that Sarah Strong has plenty of areas to work on in her game, he recognized her timely contributions against Holy Cross in the postgame interview.
"I think she just likes to be put in those moments where we need her to make a play, whether its making a three, getting a bucket, getting a steal," Auriemma said. "She has the ability to, as I've said, to impact the game in a lot of ways. And I think as we were struggling to make shots in the first half, she was the only one who felt comfortable. "
"She is only going to get better and better. There is a lot she needs to work on but she has a feel for what we need and when we need it." (1:00)
With the win, the Huskies improved to 7-0 on the season. Strong, who was averaging 14.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.8 blocks before the Holy Cross game, is UConn’s leader in rebounding, steals and blocks. She is second to Paige Bueckers in points and assists.