UConn survives scare at Villanova: 'We didn't show up to play today'

For just the second time this season, UConn found itself in real peril. At Villanova on Wednesday night, the Huskies spent most of the opening 20 minutes behind, trailed at halftime for the first time all year and needed a strong third quarter to avoid an upset.

“We didn't really show up to play today,” Azzi Fudd told the television broadcast postgame. “That was pretty evident.”

This wasn’t just a slow start, though UConn is plenty familiar with those recently. On Saturday, the Huskies struggled in the first quarter at Marquette but still led by 12 at the half. Against Creighton, they were tied with 57 seconds left in the opening period before winning by 50.

But at Villanova, UConn struggled to pull itself out of the spiral.

“Usually, [if we have a] rough first quarter, we figure it out [in the] second quarter,” Fudd said. “That didn't happen.”

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