Big East tournament roundup: No. 3 UConn routs Villanova, will face Creighton in final

Paige Bueckers scored 23 points to help No. 3 UConn advance to the Big East tournament championship game with an 82-54 victory over Villanova on Sunday in Uncasville, Conn. Sarah Strong paired 20 points with 16 rebounds and Azzi Fudd chipped in 14 points for the top-seed Huskies (30-3), who are seeking their fifth straight Big East tournament title since rejoining the conference in 2020. They'll face either third-seeded Seton Hall or No. 23 Creighton, the second seed, in Monday's final. Maddie Webber netted 15 points to lead the fifth-seeded Wildcats (18-14). Villanova got 10 points from both Denae Carter and Ryanne Allen but was outshot 51.7 percent to 31.1 percent for the game. Bueckers, who also had a game-high six assists, tallied 12 points during the second quarter to help UConn build a 47-37 halftime lead. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 17-6 in the third quarter and led by as many as 30 in the fourth. No. 23 Creighton 73, Seton Hall 44 Lauren Jensen notched 19 points and Morgan Maly added 14 as the second-seeded Bluejays pummeled the Pirates to secure their first conference tournament title game berth since 2016. Creighton (26-5) blitzed Seton Hall from the get-go, surging ahead 23-6 by the end of the first quarter. The Bluejays carried an 11-point edge into halftime and led by 15 entering the fourth before pouring it on. Creighton returns to the title game after falling to St. John's 50-37 in its first appearance nine years ago. Faith Masonius led third-seeded Seton Hall (22-9) with 16 points and seven rebounds and Jada Eads scored 11. The Pirates shot just 27.8 percent overall and committed 14 turnovers that the Bluejays flipped into 17 points. --Field Level Media