Sarah Strong Scores 25 to Lead No. 4 UConn Past Ohio State 87-55

Sarah Strong scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half to lead the No. 4 UConn Huskies to an 87-55 road victory over the No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday.

The junior forward spent the final 12:02 of the first half on the bench after picking up two fouls, which allowed the Buckeyes to close the gap and trail by just three points at halftime. Out of the locker room, Strong dominated by shooting a career-high seven 3-pointers on just eight attempts while adding nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

Sarah Strong Dominates as UConn Women's Basketball Takes Down Ohio State — UConn Huskies

UConn never trailed during the matchup. Early in the opening quarter, the Huskies ran out to a 12-2 lead and eventually pushed the margin to 13 points. Then, Strong picked up two fouls in the span of 14 seconds and headed to the bench with 2:02 left in the frame. Ohio State capitalized by closing the frame on a 12-4 run that cut the Huskies’ advantage down to five.

With Strong sidelined alongside teammates KK Arnold and Blanca Quiñonez—who both quickly accumulated two fouls—the second period became a low-scoring defensive battle. The two teams combined for just 24 points in the quarter. Although the Huskies held the Buckeyes without a basket for the first 4:54 of the period, they managed only four points themselves.

UConn at Ohio State | Highlights | Big Ten Women's Basketball — Big Ten Women's Basketball

Strong changed the dynamic immediately upon returning for the third quarter. She drilled a 3-pointer on UConn’s first possession and followed it with another a minute later, scoring the team’s first five baskets to jump-start a 17-point period. Ohio State managed only 11 points in the third quarter and never recovered as the Huskies eventually expanded their lead past 20 points early in the fourth.

Olivia Vukosa contributed eight points and 12 rebounds—including eight on the offensive glass—along with six assists and two blocks. Ashlynn Shade added 15 points, while Arnold finished with 10 points, five assists, and five steals despite foul trouble.

UConn at Ohio State | Extended Highlights | Big Ten Women's Basketball — Big Ten Women's Basketball

After committing 13 turnovers in the first half, UConn cleaned up its ball security by coughing up the ball only three times over the final two quarters. The Huskies finished by assisting on 24 of 32 baskets, receiving 31 points from their bench, and shooting 14-27 from beyond the arc.

With the win, UConn improves to 3-1 on the season. Next, the Huskies will travel to face No. 7 Louisville on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.