UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 24 points and Azzi Fudd added 13 to help No. 3 UConn beat 22nd-ranked Creighton 70-50 to win the Big East championship Monday night.

It's the 23rd Big East title and fifth consecutive one for the Huskies (31-3) since they returned to the conference in 2021. This was Creighton's first time in the championship game since 2016, when the Bluejays lost to St. John's.

Sarah Strong had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six steals for the Huskies, who scored the game's first 11 points.

Lauren Jensen scored 13 points to lead Creighton (26-6). The Bluejays came into the game averaging over nine 3-pointers a game and shooting 37% from behind the arc. They were just 6 for 23 against UConn, with five of the makes coming in the second half.

Takeaways

Creighton: The Bluejays have an impressive resume, with their only losses this season coming to UConn (three times), UCLA, South Dakota State and Kansas State. They could be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament no matter where they are seeded.

UConn: Since losing to Tennessee on Feb. 6, the Huskies have looked unbeatable. They won every game by at least 19 points, including a 29-point win at South Carolina. UConn heads into the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to win it all.

Key moment

UConn scored the first 11 points as Creighton had five turnovers and was 0-for-5 from the field. The Bluejays then scored seven straight, but could get no closer as the Huskies answered with a 16-4 run to end the quarter up 27-11.

Key stat

Creighton coach Jim Flanery said before the game that his team had to do a good job on turnovers. The Bluejays had seven of their 19 miscues in the first quarter and couldn't overcome that.

Up next

UConn and Creighton await their NCAA Tournament seeding, which will be revealed on Sunday night.

Creighton's Kalkbrenner matches Ewing with 4th Big East Defensive Player of the Year award

NEW YORK (AP) — Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was selected Big East Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth straight season on Monday, joining Georgetown great Patrick Ewing as the only players to accomplish the feat.

The 7-foot-1 senior led the league with 80 blocks for the Bluejays (22-9, 15-5), the No. 2 seed in this week's conference tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Ewing won the award every year from 1982-85 before going on to a Hall of Fame career in the NBA.

St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor was chosen Most Improved Player, UConn big man Tarris Reed Jr. took the Sixth Man Award, and Xavier forward Jerome Hunter received the Sportsmanship Award.

Big East head coaches vote for the awards and are not allowed to pick their own players.

Kalkbrenner, who has never fouled out of a game, is a top contender for conference Player of the Year, too. He and Ejiofor were on the All-Big East first team announced Sunday, along with Kam Jones of Marquette, RJ Luis Jr. of St. John’s, Eric Dixon of Villanova and Micah Peavy of Georgetown. Kalkbrenner, Jones, Luis and Dixon were unanimous selections.

The award for Player of the Year will go to one of those six Wednesday, when Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year also will be revealed during a news conference at Madison Square Garden a few hours before the Big East Tournament begins.

Ejiofor, a 6-foot-9 junior and team captain, is averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for No. 6 St. John's (27-4, 18-2), which won its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds last season.

The 6-foot-10 Reed is averaging 10 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 67% from the field in 20.2 minutes per game for the Huskies (22-9, 14-6), the two-time defending NCAA champions. He leads the team with 52 blocks and has seven double-doubles off the bench, most in the nation.

Hunter, a 6-8 graduate student, has fought through cardiac issues and a torn ACL that caused him to miss last season. He is averaging 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game for the Musketeers (21-10, 13-7).