Huskies Depleted but Dominant
The Story: The No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team was down to seven players again last night, but seven was more than enough as the Huskies produced their highest point total of the season and rolled to a 103-58 victory over Seton Hall at Walsh Gymnasium.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies (16-2, 9-0 Big East) eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time this season, with five of the seven available players scoring in double figures, led by Dorka Juhasz and Aubrey Griffin with 22 points apiece, and Aaliyah Edwards with 21.
• Lou Lopez Senechal added 17 points, and Amari DeBerry chipped in a career-high 13 points off the bench. DeBerry also had the assist of the game, with a bounce pass to a cutting Ines Bettencourt while sitting on the court.
FUDD, DUCHARME, PATTERSON STILL OUT: Leading scorer Azzi Fudd missed the game as she recovers from a knee injury suffered against Georgetown.
• Geno Auriemma said Fudd was back in Connecticut “getting some tests done” on her right knee. “We’ll know more when we get back,” he said.
Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson remained in the concussion protocol and have now missed five and three games, respectively. While Ducharme is ahead of Patterson in the process, Geno said Ducharme’s situation has been “a little more complicated.”
EDWARDS DOMINATES: The first half belonged to Edwards, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes and singlehandedly dismantled Seton Hall (13-6, 6-3 Big East) as UConn stormed to a 50-22 halftime lead. Edwards finished with 11 boards, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
THE REST OF THE BOX SCORE: Nika Muhl was the only starter who didn’t score in double figures, but she dished out 13 assists and continues to be the NCAA’s assist leader, averaging 9.1 per game.
• Juhasz matched Edwards with 11 rebounds while Griffin and DeBerry grabbed eight each. Juhasz also led the way from the 3-point line, hitting four of five attempts, as UConn shot an amazing 67 percent from 3-point range (10 of 15).
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “[Playing with a depleted team] has been something we’ve been forced to deal with for some time. We’ve talked about, ‘What can we do?’ … They are learning how to come through when they have to. Hopefully, someday, when we get everyone back, we’ll be that much better for it.”
UP NEXT: The Huskies return home to play Butler at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday at noon.
Can Hurley Turn it Around?
The Story: The No. 15-ranked men’s basketball team hopes to reverse its Big East spiral tonight as it plays Seton Hall (11-8, 4-4 Big East) at the Prudential Center (6:30 p.m., FS1).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: It almost seemed like eons ago that Dan Hurley‘s squad was undefeated and an ascending force that reached No. 2 in the polls. So far, 2023 hasn’t been kind to UConn, which has dropped four of its past five games, all in conference play, with three of the four losses coming on the road.
WHAT ABOUT SETON HALL? While the Huskies need a pick-me-up game in the worst way, playing the Pirates — coached by Seton Hall great Shaheen Holloway — might not be the antidote for what ails the Huskies. The Pirates have won three straight, with the last two coming on the road.
• Granted, their two wins were against DePaul and Georgetown (who have combined for two conference victories). But given their struggles, the Huskies don’t have the luxury of viewing any game as an easy W.
DEFENSE, WHERE ARE THOU? Among the areas that Hurley is no doubt looking to address is the defense. Once a hallmark of the team’s preseason success, the defense has suddenly turned from potent to porous.
• The Huskies held opponents to an average of 59.1 points per game as they fashioned a 14-0 record. Since then? Opponents have been scoring at a 76.6-point clip over the past five games. Something must be done.
AS SANOGO GOES … : What UConn desperately needs is a big game from its All-America candidate, Adama Sanogo. Yes, teams have focused their attention on stopping the preseason Big East Player of the Year, putting the onus on his teammates to make plays.
• The approach seems to be working: Sanogo has averaged 18.4 points when UConn wins, but only 13.3 when it loses.
• Great players find ways to assert their presence and elevate their team. Whenever Sanogo steps on the floor, he is the best player on the court. For UConn to emerge from its Big East funk, it starts with Sanogo. He must be the catalyst.
• Freshman Alex Karaban said losing four of the past five games has been “real humbling” and “a gut check” for the team.
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT? Turning the season around might be more challenging than just making some physical adjustments. Like most college coaches, Hurley is fighting a general reluctance among today’s players to battle back from adversity because they might not be invested beyond this season.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “There’s a lot more going on in dealing with these guys. The hard thing is, if the season isn’t going exactly the way a player would want … and they know there are outs in a couple of months, sometimes they give in a little bit. All programs are dealing with that, and that’s why you see some of these performances that are uncharacteristic of teams that looked great early on.”
HISTORIC MEETING: When the two teams play tonight, it will be the first time two former Big East players from the same school will face each other as Big East coaches. Hurley played point guard at Seton Hall from 1991-96, while Holloway ran the point for the Pirates from ’96-2000.
Morning Reads
• The Kevin Ollie saga looms over the athletic department budget as the $13.4 million one-time payment ballooned the budgetary red ink for athletics to $53 million on the past fiscal year. (Associated Press)
• The university will finally replace the playing surface at Gampel Pavilion, which has been sanded countless times over 33 years and finally needs to be replaced. (UConn Today)
• The football team’s win over then-No. 19 Liberty was included in a list of the top 100 games of the season. (ESPN)
• UConn unveiled its live-streaming platform, UConn+, and announced it will initially be home to all of the Huskies’ baseball and softball games this season. (UConnHuskies.com)
Top photo: Geno Auriemma offers advice to Nika Muhl in the Huskies’ game against Texas earlier this season. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
