Sarah Strong hit 1,000 career points in just 59 games and UConn unleashed an 18-2 third-quarter blitz to bury Notre Dame 85-47, extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 19.
Sarah Strong detonated for 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks, burying the 1,000-point milestone with a wing three in the second quarter and burying Notre Dame’s morale soon after as top-ranked UConn cruised 85-47 to push the longest active streak in women’s college basketball to 19 straight.
KK Arnold drew the primary assignment on Irish star Hannah Hidalgo and held her to a 5-of-15 night while adding 12 points, 5 assists and only 1 turnover, the latest clinic in UConn’s perimeter-defensive graduate course. Hidalgo entered averaging 31.5 points in her previous two meetings with the Huskies; she was scoreless in the first quarter and never found rhythm.
The 18-2 Avalanche That Ended It
Notre Dame crept within 32-23 at halftime—first opponent this season to trail by single digits at the break—then watched the game combust. UConn ripped off an 18-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters, turning a 41-27 lead into a 59-29 laugher in 5:07 of game clock. The Irish missed eight consecutive looks, committed three live-ball turnovers and were out-rebounded 7-1 in that stretch.
1,000 Points, 59 Games, Two Legends Ahead
Strong’s milestone triple at the 7:31 mark of the second quarter made her the third-fastest Husky to four digits, trailing only Paige Bueckers and Maya Moore. The 6-2 sophomore now owns 12 double-doubles this season and has scored in double figures in every 2025-26 contest.
- 1,000 points in 59 games—only Bueckers (57) and Moore (55) were faster.
- 18.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.4 BPG on 52/41/84 splits.
- UConn is 19-0 when she plays; she missed the exhibition with a rolled ankle.
Depth Decimates a Shorthanded Irish Roster
Notre Dame was already without starter KK Bransford (out since Dec. 11), forcing three starters to log 36-plus minutes. By the fourth quarter the Irish were gassed: 30% second-half shooting, 14 turnovers, minus-14 on the glass. Cassandra Prosper’s 12 points paced Notre Dame, but no teammate reached double figures until garbage time.
What It Means for the Big Picture
The 38-point margin is UConn’s largest ever against Notre Dame, eclipsing a 34-point rout in 2002 and snapping a three-game skid in the series. Geno Auriemma’s squad now owns the nation’s best scoring-margin (+24.8) and defensive field-goal percentage (33.2%). With Georgetown on Thursday and a Feb. 1 showdown at USC looming, the Huskies are on pace to enter the SEC-Big 12 Challenge undefeated and the clear No. 1 overall NCAA tournament seed.
For Notre Dame, the 12-6 record is misleading; six losses have come to top-15 teams and the computer numbers still slot the Irish firmly in the field. But with Bransford’s return date uncertain and a Thursday date against Miami next, first-year coach Niele Ivey must find bench scoring or risk another February fade.
Key Metrics That Tell the Story
- Points off turnovers: UConn 28, Notre Dame 8.
- Fast-break points: UConn 19, Notre Dame 2.
- Bench scoring: UConn 27, Notre Dame 9.
- Second-chance points: UConn 18, Notre Dame 4.
Every number screams systemic dominance—Auriemma’s rotation goes nine deep, the Irish effectively six.
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