Paige Bueckers and No. 8 UConn breeze past No. 20 Maryland, 80-48
Paige Bueckers had 24 points and six steals as No. 8 UConn rebounded from its first loss of the season with an 80-48 victory Thursday night over No. 20 Maryland.
Aaliyah Edwards and KK Arnold each scored 12 points for the Huskies (2-1). Ashlynn Shade added 10 points and Aubrey Griffin had nine points and 13 rebounds.
Paige Bueckers records 24 points, six steals and five boards in UConn's win vs. Maryland
Shyanne Sellers scored 16 points and Jakia Brown-Turner added 13 points for Maryland (1-2). The Huskies held the Terps to just 15 field goals (26% shooting) and forced 27 turnovers, leading to 29 UConn points.
The Terps have now lost two straight after falling to top-ranked South Carolina on Sunday.
The Terps held UConn without a field goal for more than 3 1/2 minutes in the second quarter and led by as many as five points.
But Bueckers had 15 first-half points to lead UConn back. Her steal, layup and free throw left Sellers with her third foul and gave UConn a 32-25 lead. It was the highlight of a 20-4 run to close the second quarter and the Huskies led 42-27 after 20 minutes.
Paige Bueckers grabs a steal and finishes plus a foul to extend UConn's lead vs. Maryland
UConn took its first 20-point lead at 52-31 on a steal by Bueckers and layup by Griffin and were not seriously challenged after that.
The Huskies played without starting guard Azzi Fudd, who suffered a knee injury in practice this week.
The loss could drop Maryland out of the Top 25 for the first time after being in 251 straight polls, dating to the start of the 2010-11 season. That streak is second behind Connecticut's record of 566 weeks.
The Huskies' schedule does not get any easier. UConn has games in the next month against No. 3 UCLA, No. 11 Texas, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 19 Louisville.
The Terrapins host Syracuse on Sunday.
The Huskies visit Minnesota on Sunday in a homecoming game for Paige Bueckers, who is from Hopkins, Minnesota.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
