Well, A Silver Medal Ain’t So Bad …
The Story: Although the score was tied at halftime and the Huskies trailed by one after the third quarter, they fell 79-64 last night to Team USA in an exhibition game at the XL Center that served as a glorified UConn reunion.
HANG TOUGH: The Huskies weren’t expected to be able to compete against Team USA, which is playing a series of exhibitions against top college teams in preparation for the Summer Olympics. Geno Auriemma even joked after the win against ECU on Saturday that he couldn’t wait to see how his players would be humbled and feel about it the following morning. Instead, he’s likely to be pleased. Yes, Team USA wasn’t playing at full strength — Diana Taurasi, for example, didn’t play because of back spasms — but it could only play with the players it had, and the Huskies nearly made the Olympians pay.
GAME OF RUNS: We’re not going to go too deep into the box score because, well, the box score doesn’t matter. But the Huskies deserve some credit for trailing 14-3 more than five and a half minutes in and then crawling out of that hole. Their second quarter, in particular, was excellent: They went 8-for-16 in that quarter and went on an 11-0 run capped by a layup by Evelyn Adebayo that gave UConn a 28-27 lead with 2:57 left until halftime. On the flip side, the Huskies’ fourth quarter was not so hot; after holding a 56-54 lead a minute in, Team USA went on a 10-0 run mostly behind its backups, leaving UConn in the dust.
GIVE ME THE NUMBERS: Megan Walker finished with a game-high 22 points and had seven rebounds, Crystal Dangerfield scored 11 points, Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 10 points and seven rebounds and Anna Makurat had 10 points. As for the former UConn players, Sue Bird and her beautiful throwback UConn kicks had nine points in 20 minutes, Tina Charles had six points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes and Katie Lou Samuelson had two points in seven minutes. Breanna Stewart, making her return from nine months off after tearing an Achilles, scored her only three points just two minutes in and played 17 minutes.
A SOMBER START: Both sides remembered Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles on Sunday, with 24 seconds of silence. The Huskies reserved a seat on the bench for Gianna, complete with a No. 2 jersey; she had wanted to attend UConn and play for Geno before going onto the WNBA. Team USA held the ball for an eight-second backcourt violation after winning the opening tipoff, and UConn was called for a 24-second violation on the following possession. Stewart wrote the names of the victims on her shoes before the game, and others wore purple-and-gold shoes for Bryant.
FAMILY REUNION: In addition to those playing in the game, the Huskies hosted a 10-year reunion for the players who won the national title in 2009 and 2010, including Caroline Doty, Kelly Faris, Kalana Greene and Meghan Gardler. Most noticeable among them was Maya Moore, who is taking a second year off from basketball to focus on criminal justice issues. Moore, notably, would have been playing against UConn last night.
UP NEXT: The Huskies will play their next three games at home, beginning Thursday with a matchup against Cincinnati before facing Oregon, which beat Team USA in the fall, on Monday.
Morning Reads
HUSKIES ADD FIVE: The football team picked up commitments from five players over the weekend, with one defensive back choosing the Huskies over Boston College and Kansas, among others. (Hartford Courant)
