UConn wins 41st straight game, beating Butler 80-48

By Canadian Press on February 7, 2026.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Azzi Fudd scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half as top-ranked UConn rolled to an 80-48 win over visiting Butler on Saturday as the Huskies won their 41st game in a row.

UConn’s sophomore star Sarah Strong, the top scorer and rebounder for the Huskies, missed her first game in her two seasons for the Huskies to rest. Blanca Quinonez, the top-scoring reserve for UConn, and Caroline Ducharme also missed the game. Ziebell made her second start of the season. She matched Arnold with a team-high four steals.

Serah Williams, Ashlynn Shade and Allie Ziebell had 11 points each and KK Arnold finished with 10 points for UConn (25-0, 14-0 Big East). The Huskies won their 62nd consecutive conference regular-season game. All nine available UConn players had at least two field goals.

NO. 12 MICHIGAN ST. 81, PENN ST. 70

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten recorded her fifth double-double of the season, Jalyn Brown scored 16 points and Rashunda Jones added 14 in Michigan State’s come-from-behind win over Penn State.

VanSlooten was the leading scorer for the Spartans (20-4, 9-4 Big Ten), with 20 points and 14 rebounds. She shot 9 of 18 from the field. Kennedy Blair added 12 points.

Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 37 points for Penn State (8-16, 1-12) on 16 of 33 shooting. She was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Freshman Tea Cleante added 10 points for the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions took their largest lead of the game in the second quarter, up 45-29 off a 6-0 run. The Spartans scored the final two buckets of the half to cut the deficit to 45-33. After the break, Michigan State went on a 16-0 run to close out the third quarter and take a 54-52 lead, holding Penn State scoreless for over six minutes.

McMiller scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Michigan State led by double digits over the final three minutes.

Michigan State’s 16-point comeback is its largest since 2005, when the Spartans beat Tennessee 68-64 to advance to the national championship.

NO. 15 BAYLOR 67, ARIZONA STATE 64

WACO, Texas (AP) — Taliah Scott scored 17 points and Baylor held off Arizona State for a victory.

Gabby Elliott’s jumper pulled Arizona State to 65-64 with 15 seconds left. Jana Van Gytenbeek answered with a pair of free throws for Baylor before the Sun Devils committed a turnover on their final possession.

Arizona State used a 12-2 run for its only lead of the second half, 44-43, with three minutes left in the third quarter, but Baylor took a 53-48 advantage into the fourth.

The Sun Devils tied it twice more before the Bears took the lead for good on a pair of Kayla Nelms’ free throws with 5:43 to play.

Scott missed 10 of 14 field-goal attempts but made two 3-pointers and hit all seven of her free-throw attempts. Van Gytenbeek finished with 13 points and Nelms scored 12 for Baylor (21-4, 10-2 Big 12). Darianna Littlepage-Buggs grabbed 12 rebounds to go with six points.

Elliott scored 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting to lead Arizona State (19-6, 6-6). Jyah LoVett added 16 points.

NO. 18 TEXAS TECH 85, HOUSTON 61

HOUSTON (AP) — Bailey Maupin scored 25 points and Texas Tech cruised to a victory over Houston.

Maupin made 7 of 13 shots with five 3-pointers and all six of her free throws for the Lady Raiders (22-3, 9-3 Big 12 Conference). She also had six rebounds.

Jalynn Bristow scored 15 on 6-for-8 shooting for Texas Tech, adding five rebounds and four blocked shots. Gemma Nunez pitched in with 13 points, seven assists and six steals.

Amirah Abdur-Rahim paced the Cougars (7-16, 1-11) with 18 points and seven rebounds, but she also had seven of Houston’s 21 turnovers that the Lady Raiders turned into 40 points. Kierra Merchant had 13 points and Briana Peguero scored 12 but had six turnovers.

Bristow and Maupin sank 3-pointers in a 16-3 run in the final five minutes of the first quarter and Texas Tech led 21-12.

NO. 20 WEST VIRGINIA 87, ARIZONA 68

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (AP) — Kierra Wheeler scored 17 points and Sydney Shaw added 16 for West Virginia in a win over Arizona.

Wheeler added six rebounds and shot 8 of 11 from the field. Shaw shot 6 of 10 overall and was 4 of 7 beyond the arc. Jordan Harris added 14 points. Gia Cooke 13 and Celia Riviere scored 10 off the bench for West Virginia (20-5, 10-3 Big 12).

Tanyuel Welch led Arizona (11-12, 2-10) with 17 points. Daniah Trammell added 15.

The Mountaineers jumped ahead with a 13-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters and went into halftime up 50-26. A 9-0 run in the third quarter gave West Virginia its largest lead at 74-40.

NO. 22 MARYLAND 78, NEBRASKA 60

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and Maryland pulled away down the stretch for a win over Nebraska.

Oluchi Okananwa scored nine of the Terrapins’ 15 first-quarter points, and Maryland (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten) led 45-28 at halftime after a 30-17 second quarter.

Nebraska closed within 50-33 early in the third, but Maryland answered with Addi Mack’s layup off a steal and a Yarden Garzon 3-pointer to stretch the margin back to 52-33. The Terrapins won the third 25-18 and pushed the lead past 30 on a Rainey Welson 3 with 5:09 left in the period.

Okananwa had 14 points and four steals, Garzon scored 11 points with six assists and Kyndal Walker added 13 off the bench. Welson finished with 13 points, a career high.

Ozzy-Momodu added nine rebounds, and Maryland finished with a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Terrapins shot 50% from the field, outrebounded Nebraska 39-26 and forced 22 turnovers.

_____

The Associated Press