Huskies Survive Blue Demons’ Scare
The Story: Freshman guard Caroline Ducharme scored with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the No. 10-ranked women’s basketball team an 80-78 victory at DePaul last night in a game that was much, much closer than anyone would have ever expected.
STAR IN THE MAKING: Ducharme, who scored a team-high 19 points, drove to the basket on the final possession to give the Huskies (12-4, 7-0 Big East) the lead in a game that the Blue Demons once led by nine.
• DePaul (16-5, 8-2 Big East) scored 17 consecutive points as part of a 21-2 run that gave it a 40-31 halftime lead. But the Huskies, sparked by Fudd and Dorka Juhasz, rallied to tie the score at 50 with 3:21 left in the third quarter.
• UConn was in real danger of losing its first conference game since March 12, 2013, a span of 167 games. And to think, it was supposed to play at No. 1 South Carolina tonight. DePaul is no slouch, but whew, meltdown averted!
MANY HAPPY RETURNS: The Huskies not only welcomed Fudd, the top-ranked freshman who hadn’t played since Nov. 22 (against the Gamecocks) because of a foot injury, back to the court. They also got a boost from the return of Christyn Williams, who missed three games because of COVID-19 protocols.
• Fudd wasn’t supposed to play until next week as she worked on her conditioning, but she apparently decided before the game that she was ready to go. She scored five of UConn’s first eight points in the fourth quarter, finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench and knocked down three of her six 3-point attempts.
• Williams also played well in her return as she made seven of her 12 shots for 17 points in 32 minutes. She returned to the starting lineup, meaning Evina Westbrook returned to the bench.
• Westbrook had three points and one assist in 24 minutes off the bench, which was … not optimal. But that’s because Nika Muhl produced with a season-high 12 points to go with her five assists. Juhasz had eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER: Although UConn recovered to lead 62-55 with 8:12 remaining once Fudd knocked down a 3, DePaul needed only two and a half minutes to swing the score the other way as part of a 9-0 run.
• How big of a hole were the Huskies in? They went 11-for-13 in the fourth quarter and still needed that basket by Ducharme in the last two seconds to pull off the win. They shot 58.6 percent on the evening.
• Freshman guard Aneesah Morrow scored a game-high 30 points, including the two free throws that tied the score before Ducharme’s heroics. The only player to win the Big East’s Freshman of the Week award this season — she has won it nine times — Morrow is a Chicago native who is going to be fun to watch.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “We just knew we were going to get the ball in her hands at the end of the game but she just made a great play. … There’s nobody better going to the basket than Caroline.”
UP NEXT: A deep breath, followed by the Huskies playing at Providence on Sunday.
Morning Reads
• After Isaiah Whaley had one of his best performances of the season in the men’s basketball team’s win over Georgetown on Tuesday, it seems like the senior we have all grown to love is finally back — and the Huskies are, too. (Hartford Courant)
• Even though Kemba Walker is back to playing well and has regained his starting role with the Knicks, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Derrick Rose reclaims it once he returns following ankle surgery. (New York Post)
• Rookie James Bouknight scored 18 points in a season-high 28 minutes in the Hornets’ loss to the Raptors on Tuesday, but he showed why he needs to be playing much more than he is. (Charlotte Observer)
