March Madness often tends to bring the best in players, but for Azzi Fudd, it brought out a side that we can hardly recognize. The situation unfolded in UConn’s first-round blowout win over UTSA, but it was the UConn senior’s unusual first-half nuances that got even more buzz.

Fudd conceded three personal fouls in the 9 minutes of the game, right after tipoff, breaking her status as a safe player with fouls this season. Speaking of it in the post-game press conference, Fudd explained the entire situation, stating that such games have been scarce in her career.

“I don’t know the last time I did that,” Fudd said. “Honestly, when it happened, I was like am I going to foul out? Am I going to make this a first for me? Obviously, I was a little frustrated because they were silly and dumb fouls. They were unnecessary. I thought they were very avoidable, preventable, but I was excited. So, we’ll prevent that going forward.”

Fudd is generally excessively disciplined wth fouls. Her collegiate career stat of just one violation per game perfectly adds weight to it. Even this season, the UConn senior has conceded just 0.7 fouls per game. Leave alone fouling out, Fudd has never given away 4 fouls in a single game this season, and has given away 3 just four times in the season.

On the contrary, the UTSA game looked out of place for Fudd. She looked a bit streaky in this regard and conceded three unnecessary violations as the pressure of last March Madness hung right above her. The game, in general, was plagued by 34 fouls, with UConn accounting for 15, a tad high given their reputation as one of the top-20 countries in terms of fouls committed, with just an average of 13. this season. Similar to Fudd, KK Arnold also gave away three fouls in the opening quarter, while Serah Williams also had three in the game.

This indiscipline with fouls severely scarred Fudd’s time on the court. The UConn senior logged in just 17 minutes and looked quite shaky to start it off. In fact, Fudd didn’t score a single point until the third quarter of the game when she made a three-point jumper on a Sarah Strong assist. She capped off her night with just 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, which mostly drew attention for her frustrating foul trouble.

UConn capitalized on the unguarded points that UTSA allowed them in the game. The Roadrunners sent the Huskies to the line 22 times, where Fudd and co converted 13 of them, getting the offense flowing with their hot 49% shooting from the field. With Strong and Blanca Quinonez combining for 33 points in the game, the Huskies took the game away convincingly, despite Fudd’s cold night at the Storrs.

The Huskies dominated almost every metric on the box score. They were formidable on the boards while controlling and moving the ball perfectly across the court, contrasting with UTSA, which committed 27 turnovers, giving away 35 points in the process. But UConn also showed a glimpse of a nemesis they have faced in stretches on several occassions this season, and Fudd didn’t shy away from putting perspective on it.

Azzi Fudd Addresses UConn’s Frail Start to the UTSA Game

For an undefeated team like UConn, which hasn’t put a foot wrong this season, the first-half struggles are quietly turning into an Achilles heel for them. Geno Auriemma’s team has faced close games throughout the season due to this prolonged issue. In a game against Villanova in the regular season, the Huskies trailed for more than 16 minutes in the first half, quite unusual for a team of UConn’s stature.

While it hasn’t forced them to drop any games in the season, the upcoming games against top-notch teams will be a challenge in that regard. The same notable issue was evident in the game against the UTSA Roadrunners as well. The Huskies went just 4 of 13 from the field in the opening minutes of the game, and 0-7 beyond the arc.

The Roadrunners didn’t manage to take a substantial lead, courtesy of it, but, overall, this slow start quietly limited their offensive prowess. “I’d say it definitely took us a second to get the legs under us, ” Fudd said regarding this issue in the presser. “Even then, I think it was a good win. I am proud of us, but we’re going to be better on Monday.”

Of course, for a senior and vital player like Azzi Fudd, early fouls and scoring struggles are a major concern for the UConn Huskies in their quest to defend their National Championship title. But as the UConn senior mentioned, she’s not putting too much pressure on herself for this performance and stated that she would improve in the upcoming games of the tournament.

Their next game in the tournament is against No. 9 Syracuse Orange in the second round. The game is set to tip off on March 23 at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.