Azzi Fudd dazzles in long-awaited return home

Azzi Fudd waited four years to play back home. On Saturday at Georgetown, the Arlington, Virginia native finally got her long-awaited opportunity.

She didn’t let it go to waste, scoring a team-high 21 points to help UConn beat an upset-minded Hoyas squad 73-55. Fudd went 8-13 from the floor and hit 5-8 from three — accounting for half the Huskies’ triples on the day.

While injuries robbed her of a chance to be on the court for UConn’s annual trip to Washington, DC during the previous three seasons, Fudd made up for it on Saturday by playing up to her potential — and unencumbered by her past.

“Little by little, I think she’s getting back to her old self,” Geno Auriemma said.

Given the circumstances, Fudd dealt with some butterflies early and needed time to settle in. She didn’t take a shot in the first five minutes but eventually got herself started with a layup at the 4:28 mark of the opening quarter.

“I know she has a lot fans down here, I know she has a lot of family down here,” Auriemma said. “I could tell early on, she had a little bit of a nervousness.”

From there, Fudd took off for a steady performance in which she had four points in the first quarter, five in the second, three in the third and nine in the fourth. She went to work inside the arc during the first half but drilled all four buckets from deep in the second half.

“Azzi’s Azzi,” Auriemma said. “She’s fun to watch.”

Between family, friends and those who just wanted to see the local kid play, Fudd had plenty of support in the stands. It was all organic, too. During the Huskies’ previous trips to Georgetown, her mom, Katie, stockpiled tickets to accommodate everyone who wanted to come to the game.

This time, according to SNY, her mom decided not to buy additional tickets in the hope that it reversed Fudd’s fortunes. The trick worked. Not only did Fudd play, a large contingent still showed up for her.

“Getting to be surrounding by extra family tonight, it’s really special,” Fudd told SNY postgame. “This is my first time looking in the crowd to see who’s here, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ I haven’t seen some of these faces in so long so it’s just a special moment.”

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