No. 3 UConn returns to Big East, rolls past Seton Hall

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 25 points in her second game for No. 3 UConn, and the Huskies beat Seton Hall 92-65 on Tuesday night in their return to the Big East.

UConn (2-0, 1-0) rejoined the conference on July 1 after a seven-year stint in the American Athletic Conference. As members of the Big East from 1982-2013, Connecticut won 19 regular-season and 18 tournament league titles.

Christyn Williams added 21 points for UConn. Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds.

UConn led 31-17 in the second quarter before Seton Hall (2-2, 0-1 Big East) outscored the Huskies 13-7 in the last part of the half.

Seton Hall pulled within six a couple times early in the third third quarter, but UConn pulled away from there. Bueckers took an inbounds pass coast-to-coast with 5.3 seconds left for a three-point play and a 71-47 lead for the Huskies.

UConn only played its second game of the season due to having four games canceled or postponed after a staff member in the program tested positive for the coronavirus.

Lauren Park-Lane scored 29 points for Seton Hall, and Desiree Elmore had 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out.

Aaliyah Edwards added 17 points and eight rebounds for Connecticut, which never trailed and led by as many as 29.

SERIES HISTORY

UConn improved to 52-10 in the series against Seton Hall, winning the last 32 matchups vs. the Pirates.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Look for UConn to remain at No. 3 unless No. 1 Stanford or No. 2 Louisville stumbles. The Huskies also play Creighton and Xavier this week at home.

BIG PICTURE

UConn: The names are different, but it looked a lot like the last time UConn played in the Big East. Bueckers, a freshman, is a budding star.

Seton Hall: After starting 2-0, the Pirates have dropped two in a row. Now comes the rest of Big East play, and they were picked to finish sixth in the league.

UP NEXT

UConn: Host Creighton on Thursday for the Big East home opener.

Seton Hall: Host Marquette on Saturday.