The final score was 95-54, a comfortable 41-point win that gave UConn its 33rd straight win. But Geno Auriemma said the score didn’t tell the whole story of what happened against Creighton. There was a worrying pattern behind the Hall of Fame coach’s dominant numbers, bad decisions that made a normal conference game messier than it needed to be.

Geno Auriemma didn’t hold back in his postgame comments, focusing on his team’s mental mistakes and foul trouble.

“I just thought we put ourselves in foul situations, where some they’re just going to happen, and some we mentally make decisions that you don’t go from eight fouls the other night in a game that I think was a little more physical than this one to however many we had today,” he explained.

“Their response always is, it wasn’t a foul. The officiating was different today, like it is every other game. It’s never going to be the same every game, and you have to adapt to the way the game’s being called. Between the turnovers and the number of fouls, there were just some questionable decision-making by us.”

The numbers confirmed Auriemma’s worries.

UConn had the most turnovers of the season, with 11 in the first half alone. Nine of those first 11 were mistakes they made themselves, not forced steals. The Huskies also had to deal with almost as many fouls as they had all season, which was a big jump from their last game.

These weren’t the signs of a team with championship-level discipline, especially since Creighton tied the game early and put the Huskies in a tough spot. These problems got worse because the offense and defense weren’t working together.

“It’s a combination of things. When you’re able to get buckets at the other end, and you make shots, now you’re able to play from where we score, we pick up, they have to score, so they rush,” Geno Auriemma noted. “But when you’re throwing the ball away, and you’re missing down the other end, you’re not getting opportunities.”

Sarah Strong’s 18 points and 13 rebounds saved what could have been a much closer game.

Even though there were worries, Auriemma kept things in perspective and remembered that even the best teams have ups and downs during a long season.

Sarah Strong delivers when Geno Auriemma needs it most

When UConn was having trouble, Sarah Strong stepped in and took charge.

The sophomore star wasn’t going to let her team’s bad play ruin their perfect season. She had 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and five steals, but those numbers don’t even begin to show how much she helped the Huskies get through tough times.

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Strong’s effect was strongest in the second quarter, when UConn needed a boost.

The Huskies got off to a slow start, which allowed Creighton to stay in the game and even tie it. Then Strong drove to the basket, kicked it out to open shooters, and played great defense.

When asked how she did, Strong responded, “I’m only thinking about the game. I’m just out there making reads, seeing what the game gives me, and just playing off my teammates.”

That way of thinking led to a 33-7 explosion in the second quarter that buried Creighton. Strong’s defense messed up everything, forcing 18 turnovers in the first half that UConn turned into 22 points. At the end of the first half, the Huskies were ahead 54–21.

Creighton never got better. They only hit 33.3% of their shots and made three three-pointers all game. Strong did her job, and UConn’s winning streak grew to 33 games.