UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Redshirt senior Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and freshman Sarah Strong had a double-double to lead the third-ranked and top-seeded UConn women's basketball team (29-3) over St. John's (16-15), 71-40, in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals Saturday afternoon in Mohegan Sun Arena.
UConn will face No. 5 seed Villanova (18-13) in the BIG EAST semifinals at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday on FOX.
Bueckers shot 9-16 vs. the Red Storm. Strong had 10 points and tied her career high with 14 rebounds.
Graduate student Azzi Fudd scored 11 points as all of UConn's All-BIG EAST First Team selections finished in double digits.
St. John's scored the first bucket of the game, but UConn held them scoreless for the rest of the quarter as the Huskies took an 18-2 lead.
UConn outscored St. John's 42-14 in the paint.
UConn is 46-18 all-time vs. Villanova. The Huskies won both regular-season meetings between the teams: 83-52 at Villanova on Jan. 5 and 100-57 on Jan. 22 in Storrs. Strong had 21 points in the first meeting and 22 in the second.
Villanova advanced to the semifinals with a 73-66 win over No. 4 seed Marquette. This season, Jasmine Bascoe leads the Wildcats with 16.2 points per game. Head coach Denise Dillon is in her fifth season at her alma mater.
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