STORRS, Conn. -- Azzi Fudd scored 20 of her 23 points in the first half and Sarah Strong added 21 as top-ranked UConn defeated Florida State 99-67 on Sunday to win its home opener for the 35th season in a row.
UConn unveiled its 2025 national championship banner before the game. Aubrey Griffin returned for the ceremony and was joined by nine current players who saw time on the title-winning team. There were video messages from Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen as well.
Kayleigh Heckel added 12 points and six steals off the bench for UConn (2-0).
Florida State (2-1) was led by Sole Williams with 14 points. Allie Kubek and Jasmine Shaver added 11 points each.
UConn got off to a bit of a sluggish start, missing seven of its first nine layups. The Huskies used a late basket by Heckel to take a 10-point lead after the first quarter. Heckel's defense was her calling card in the second quarter. She had five of UConn's eight steals in the quarter.
Strong had five points and Fudd added four points during a 12-0 run to push UConn's lead to 17. After a pair of free throws by Pania Davis, the Huskies ended the second quarter on a 10-0 run with Fudd scoring the final eight points to give UConn a 51-27 lead at halftime.
"Whenever we're drawing up a play, one of the first two words out of my mouth is either Azzi or Sarah, so they're going to be involved one way or another in what we're doing," coach Geno Auriemma told reporters after the game. "A lot of times, it's both. We also think that those two not only can get the opportunities that they get, but they draw so much attention that we can get other stuff.
"... That's kind of the way I want it to go the rest of the season."
Serah Williams had seven points in a 15-0 run in the third quarter.
Ayanna Patterson, who missed the past two seasons because of injury, scored her first basket at Gampel Pavilion since a March 20, 2023, NCAA tournament win over Baylor.
UConn has five new players, including Williams, a transfer from Wisconsin. UConn is counting on its depth to replace Bueckers, who is now starring for the Dallas Wings in the WNBA.
UConn topped Florida State 37-17 in bench points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.