No. 3 UConn falls to No. 7 Notre Dame, lose star guard Fudd

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Olivia Miles had 21 points and eight rebounds for No. 7 Notre Dame, and UConn star Azzi Fudd was injured in a collision with a teammate as the Fighting Irish handed the third-ranked Huskies their first loss of the season, 74-60 on Sunday.

Fudd, who came in averaging 24.0 points per game, exited in the final minute of the first quarter following a collision with teammate Aaliyah Edwards. She returned midway through the second period to play four minutes, but sat the rest of the day, going scoreless on two shots over 13 minutes.

Maddy Westbeld added a season-high 17 points and nine rebounds for Notre Dame (7-1), which bounced back from a 74-72 loss to No. 20 Maryland three days earlier.

Lou Lopez Senechal led UConn (6-1) with 21 points. Edwards added 14.

Led by Miles, the Irish roared to a 41-24 lead by intermission, outscoring the Huskies 30-11 over the final 11 minutes of the first half.

Miles scored 13 of Notre Dame’s 18 first-quarter points, going 6 of 7 from the field. Westbeld provided scoring punch after averaging 5.2 points over her last five outings.

The Irish ended a seven-game head-to-head losing streak against UConn in regular-season play, prevailing for the first time since a triple-overtime decision in March 2013.

The Huskies had also won 11 of the previous 13 meetings overall, although Notre Dame’s two wins during that stretch came in the Final Four in 2018 and 2019.

BIG PICTURE

UConn: The Huskies faced a top-10 opponent for the fourth time this season, this time in their first two road game. If Fudd's injury doesn't turn out to be serious, the Huskies ought to have a chance to do what they've done for decades: craft a resume that will make them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame: The Irish, coming back from their loss to at the buzzer to Maryland, showed that game may just be a blip on a promising season. Notre Dame matched last season’s win over No. 3 North Carolina State for the highest-ranked team it has beaten in its third year under coach Niele Ivey.

UP NEXT

UConn: The Huskies host Princeton on Thursday before facing their fifth ranked foe already when they visit No. 20 Maryland next Sunday.

Notre Dame: The Irish have a couple apparent mismatches coming up as they visit Lafayette (2-7) on Thursday and host Merrimack (1-6) on Saturday.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll