Anyone who only checked the box score of the UConn women’s basketball team’s 85-31 rout of Loyola Chicago on Wednesday night might believe the Huskies played their best game of the 2025-26 season so far.
But in the aftermath of a dominant defensive performance where UConn forced 36 turnovers and held the Ramblers to 22.7% shooting from the field, coach Geno Auriemma wasn’t thrilled with his team’s execution on the other side of the ball.
“I thought it was sloppy,” Auriemma said after the victory at Gampel Pavilion. “Everybody’s in a hurry to score, everybody’s in a hurry to make a crazy pass. Everybody’s rushing around, and nothing looks good … And it’s hard to play with that kind of intensity on defense, with that kind of energy and trying to force as many turnovers as we can, and then all of the sudden when you cross their court to go ‘Alright, now dial it back a little bit and let’s be more intentional.’ That’s going to take a little bit of time.”
Nearly 40 percent of UConn’s offensive production through the first three games has come off of turnovers, and the Huskies scored more than half of their points of turnovers in the win over Loyola. While the steals and transition scoring numbers are eye-popping, there’s a real question of how sustainable that reliance on the defensive end will be when UConn faces higher-level competition. In their opener against No. 22 Louisville, the Huskies forced a season-low 12 turnovers for 16 points, and it cost them in the fourth quarter when the Cardinals outscored them 26-18.
UConn women’s basketball dismantles Loyola Chicago 85-31 with dominant defensive performance
The team also been surprisingly inefficient from 3-point range considering the amount of shooters on the roster, averaging 28.6% through the first three games. Star guard Azzi Fudd and forward Sarah Strong have combined for 10 of the team’s 17 made 3-pointers, and Auriemma said he wants to see the Huskies taking more attempts beyond the arc than they have in the first three games.
While Auriemma isn’t satisfied, every game so far has shown flashes of their potential, especially as the team looks for a reliable third scoring option. The team has seen three different players record double-digit points totals behind the powerhouse duo of Strong and Fudd through the first three games: Starting point guard KK Arnold and sophomore Kayleigh Heckel scored 12 and 13 respectively against Louisville, and Heckel posted another 12 in the win over Florida State. Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams had her best game with the Huskies against Loyola logging 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, and Arnold added 11 of her own.
“That’s a luxury that all good teams have. They can find a third scorer to separate them from everybody else,” Auriemma said. “We’ve got two right now that we know we can count on every night, and we’ve got some candidates to be that third scorer — maybe even three and a half, four. Who knows?”
Williams came to UConn with high expectations after averaging 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in her final season at Wisconsin, but Auriemma knows the adjustment period will be longer and more difficult for the senior center than it would be for a less-experienced transfer. Williams is still figuring out how she fits into a system where she isn’t the No. 1 option, but her production could take a significant leap as time goes on.
“I feel like things get stagnated sometimes on the offensive end when we run something and it doesn’t go our way, so just learning how to go from that point on when a play goes down,” Arnold said. “Each and every day that we play with each other, learn each other’s tendencies and just keep learning how to move without the ball and different stuff like that, I feel like that will help.”
Serah Williams #22 of the Connecticut Huskies is defended by Brooklyn Vaughn #21 of the Loyola Ramblers during the first half of an NCAA women’s basketball game on Nov. 12, 2025 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Arnold’s early offensive consistency is a major positive for the Huskies’ backcourt. The junior is only playing five more minutes per game so far this season than she did off the bench in 2024-25, but she is averaging nearly double the points she did last season with 10.3 on a career-best 60% shooting from the field. The sample size is small, but Arnold is also hitting a career-high 85.7% at the free throw line, and though the vast majority of her points are still coming at the rim, she’s gotten more comfortable from range shooting 50% on attempts outside of the paint.
“Just being aggressive, being the aggressor and attacking, and once I attack that opens things up for my teammates who are out on the 3-point line,” Arnold said. “I think that’s the biggest thing is just me being more assertive.”
Heckel has been a pleasant surprise, transitioning quickly to the Huskies’ system after playing her freshman season at USC. The sophomore point guard is UConn’s leading scorer off the bench averaging 10.3 points per game, and though her efficiency can be inconsistent, she’s capable of hitting shots at all three levels on her best days.
Fellow sophomore Allie Ziebell also looks poised for a breakout year. Auriemma made a deliberate effort to get Ziebell more minutes after she saw the court for just five in the Louisville game, and she has averaged eight points on 63.6% shooting from the field across the Huskies’ last two wins.
“People are going to need a break more often than they have in the past where we played mostly half-court basketball, and I think (it will help) as Kayleigh Heckel gets better and better — meaning better understanding and can make more plays — and as Allie gets even more comfortable out there,” Auriemma said. “When you watch Allie play, she makes a lot of things. She makes driving layups, she makes threes, she’s a good passer, she’s a big guard. The more comfortable she gets, the easier it is to give Azzi a breather. So we’re just searching. You find out a little bit more every day about what works and what doesn’t.”