STORRS, Conn. — It didn’t take long for Sarah Strong to find her form again. Following a disappointing outing in Thursday’s loss against Michigan, Strong dominated against Iowa with a 39-point, 10-rebound performance in UConn’s 91-79 victory over Iowa on Sunday.
“After watching last game [against Michigan] and knowing how I just didn’t show up at all, I wanted to make an impact from the start,” Strong told reporters postgame.
Out of the gate Strong was an immediate contributor, assertive in pursuing her shot. She scored UConn’s first three field goals, adding two assists and two rebounds in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Huskies’ junior superstar erupted for 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting (4-for-4 from from beyond the arc), capping the half off with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. UConn took a 52-37 lead into the locker room.
“Sarah Strong is a specimen,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen told reporters. “She just is the most versatile big-guard, guard-big. I just love her mentality that you know you are the best player on the floor. That’s what always has impressed me. She kind of like that, but she’s kind of a quiet sweetheart. This year, she’s kind of looking like, ‘Y’all need to catch up.’”
The reigning national player of the year ended the afternoon with a career-high 39 points on a career-high 26 field goal attempts. Since her arrival at UConn in 2024, Auriemma has pushed Strong to take the ball to the basket instead of deferring to her teammates.
“I just felt good,” Strong said. “I knew I was going to shoot it — that’s what Coach has been harping on the last two years I’ve been there.”
It was a good sign for the Huskies after a disappointing loss in Ann Arbor, a loss the Auriemma called “the worst UConn performance” since a loss to North Carolina in 2004. He was impressed with Strong’s effort and ability to turn things around quickly after she struggled with scoring and foul trouble against Michigan.
“Maybe because Thursday didn’t go her way … maybe she was trying to prove a point. I don’t know. But whatever it was, I like it,” Auriemma told reporters.
With Strong leading the way, UConn’s supporting cast also found their rhythm, a rhythm that was absent in the Michigan loss. Sophomore Blanca Quiñonez, who missed the summer and preseason recovering from injury, matched her career high with 21 points alongside a career-high five steals. Freshman center Olivia Vukosa was aggressive on the glass (10 rebounds) and freshman guard Jovana Popovic contributed 10 points and six assists.
“Sarah’s going to set the tone most nights. But that’s the kind of thing that gives the other players on the team confidence, that’s what happened today. There was a little more evidence of confidence in the other players,” Auriemma said.
Without Strong’s usual output on Thursday, the Huskies struggled mightily. Returned to form on Sunday, her talent and the impact were on full display. As the Huskies look ahead to a gauntlet of a nonconference schedule, including top 10 matchups against South Carolina and Duke later this month, Strong is the key piece of UConn’s early-season roster puzzle.
“She knows who she is, she knows what her talent level is, and the ball seems to find her,” Auriemma said. “But the ball finds all great players, and we have a lot of we have a lot of good players, but we only have one that’s Sarah’s Strong.”
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