Paige Bueckers & Teammates Celebrate Big East Championship | #10 UConn Huskies vs Villanova. 

Watch the video here:

Aaliyah Edwards, Paige Bueckers carry UConn over Villanova in physical Big East women’s basketball win

UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards (3), right, and Villanova’s Kaitlyn Orihel (4) chase down a loose ball during women’s basketball action at Gampel Pavilion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

Christina Dalce and Megan Olbrys couldn’t handle Aaliyah Edwards’ dominant physical presence under the hoop as both got caught fouling the UConn women’s basketball star forward within the game’s opening minutes.

Dalce took a seat on the bench with two early fouls less than three minutes in. Olbrys joined her not even a minute later with two fouls of her own. Edwards drew all four fouls in under five minutes.

Edwards, who is second in the Big East with 9.5 rebounds per game, was unstoppable Wednesday — her smart physicality only part of her double-double performance in the Huskies’ 67-46 win over Villanova at Gampel Pavilion.

“Aaliyah did a really good job of keeping it simple, you know, not trying to do too much,” Geno Auriemma said. “But she had to work her brains out for whatever she got.”

The Canadian finished with her 16th double-double of the season with 14 points, 11 rebounds and tied her career high with four steals. Paige Bueckers led UConn’s offense with 31 points, as the only other Husky in double figures.

Wednesday was the No. 10 Huskies’ final regular season home game before they conclude the Big East season on Saturday at Providence. UConn (25-5, 17-0) won the Big East regular season title on Sunday and holds the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s Big East Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Huskies celebrated their 30th conference regular season title following their win over the Wildcats with Big East commissioner Val Ackerman handing them the trophy under blue and white colored streamers.

Villanova (17-11, 10-7) remains in a battle with Marquette for the No. 4 seed since St. John’s clinched the No. 3 with the Wildcats’ loss to UConn.

Edwards’ work on Dalce, who leads the conference with 10.1 boards per game, limited the star Wildcat to just three minutes in the first half. And with Olbrys out early too, Villanova played small — only further allowing Edwards to take over.

UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards (3), right, tries to retain control of a loose ball as Villanova’s Kaitlyn Orihel (4) reaches in during women’s basketball action at Gampel Pavilion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

During the first media timeout, Edwards already had five rebounds, three points and one steal. She wreaked havoc on defense by demanding possession after possession under the basket and pressuring the Wildcats into losing control of the ball. On offense, she dared the Wildcats to swat at her and her make contact while she shot.

“We knew it was gonna be physical,” Edwards said. “I knew it was going to be physical from the last game. We kind of set the tone defensively, and I was able to draw a couple of their players into foul trouble and that helped put us to advantage.”

Dalce couldn’t keep up. When the two went one-on-one in the post, Edwards not only found a way around the 6-foot-2 forward with her quickness but trapped her into fouling with her length. Dalce earned her third personal foul two minutes into the third quarter and returned to the bench.

The Wildcat played a season-low six minutes and didn’t grab a single rebound.

“Villanova, they’re physical as hell and they’re an aggressive team and they’re a tough bunch,” Auriemma said. “And so they make it very difficult for you to get what you want and it doesn’t matter whether it’s Aaliyah or anybody else.”

“So being physical, like that, and being patient and not just getting caught up in throwing anything up there. In order to get fouled, you have to be aggressive, and you have to be physical and you have to be patient. And that comes from maturity. And, obviously, the last couple of years you’ve seen the change in Aaliyah.”

UConn’s defense on the rest of the Wildcats was just as impressive.

The Huskies limited Villanova to just three made field goals in the first quarter, including a four-minute scoring drought. The Wildcats’ 46 points tied their season low in total scoring.

Villanova’s Zanai Jones (1) eyes the basket as UConn’s Qadence Samuels (4) defends during women’s basketball action at Gampel Pavilion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

With Dalce out of the way, the Huskies took turns guarding the Big East’s leading scorer Lucy Olsen. While Nika Mühl started the game defending Olsen, Bueckers, Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold also rotated through the assignment.

The change of pressure got to Olsen. After getting swarmed by a double-team from Shade and Arnold, she let go of the ball as it flew out of bounds. Olsen averaged 23.6 points per game heading into Wednesday but finished with a season-low six points on 2 of 16 shooting.

“It was a huge emphasis in the shootaround and in practice before the game of just trying to make shots tough for her,” Bueckers said of the team’s defense on Olsen. “… (It’s) us communicating on switches on ball screens, on ways we can just try to make every shot she takes difficult. Always have a hand in her face and make sure that she gets no easy opportunities. But Nika is the head of the snake and then everybody has to follow suit and help her out.”

Things got chippy between the Villanova star and Bueckers, especially after the Huskies’ star ran into the Wildcat on offense, drawing a foul and sending her to the bench with two total to end the first half.

The calls went both ways, though. Bueckers got called for her fourth foul at 5:21 in the third quarter and took a seat on the bench. Villanova took advantage and strung together an 11-5 run to cut UConn’s once 16-point lead down to 10.

UConn appeared flustered without its star. After only seven turnovers in the first half, the Huskies doubled that number in the third alone.

Bueckers (who finished with her second-straight 30-point game on 11 of 15 shooting) returned to the court to start the fourth. Villanova got within seven before Olsen got called for her third foul by hitting Edwards as the Husky leaped up to rebound a Bueckers’ miss.

UConn’s Ashlynn Shade (12), right, defends as Villanova’s Kaitlyn Orihel (4) carries the ball during women’s basketball action at Gampel Pavillion at UConn in Storrs, Conn., on Wednesday February 28, 2024.

The Husky forward only remained calm and in control.

Edwards knocked away a Villanova pass atop the key with 5:55 remaining. She out-sprinted the Wildcats in chasing down the ball and passed it to Mühl. The point guard found Shade open in the corner for a 3-pointer to put the Huskies back up by double-digits.

“Defensively it does take its toll on you too, how much you got to chase these guys around the whole game,” Auriemma said. “So I thought when they cut it to seven, I thought we showed a lot. We went on a really good run after that. So I was really proud of them.”

And even when Dalce checked back in and got tangled up with Edwards, sending the Canadian sliding on the floor near the sideline, the Husky remained poised. Edwards finished the game with 10 drawn fouls, her second time this season drawing double-digit fouls from an opponent