VILLANOVA, Pa. – Freshman Sarah Strong scored 21 points to lead the seventh-ranked UConn women's basketball team (13-2, 4-0 BIG EAST) past Villanova (7-8, 1-2), 83-52, Sunday afternoon in Finneran Pavilion.

Strong shot 9-12 from the floor and added five rebounds and four assists. Redshirt senior Paige Bueckers had 15 points and season-high nine assists while sophomore KK Arnold had her second-straight double-digit point season with 15 points.

The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 48-8 in the paint.

Strong had 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first quarter as UConn took a 23-15 lead. The Huskies held Villanova to nine second-quarter points to take a 40-28 lead into halftime.

UConn shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half. Arnold scored 11 of her points in the second half.

The Huskies had a season-high 30 assists on 35 made field goals, led by Bueckers' nine.

UConn returns to the XL Center next Wednesday to host Xavier (5-9, 0-3) at 7:30 p.m. The Huskies will celebrate Pride Night to honor the LGBTQ+ community. Tickets are available HERE.