‘All-American’ Edwards Leads Rout
The Story: The No. 5-ranked women’s basketball team welcomed back one more player to its still-depleted bench last night, but on the court the Huskies got an All-America-caliber performance from Aailyah Edwards and overwhelmed DePaul 94-51 at Gampel Pavilion.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies (18-2, 11-0 Big East), who won their 11th consecutive game, turned a 17-point halftime lead into a 43-point beating by dominating in the paint and outrebounding DePaul, 59-32.
AAILYAH THE ALL-AMERICAN? It was a statement game for Edwards, who was paired up against Aneesah Morrow, a preseason All-American and the nation’s fourth-leading scorer.
• In an ultra-aggressive matchup, Edwards outplayed the DePaul phenom and led the Huskies with 23 points. It was the junior’s 10th 20-point game of the season and her ninth double-double.
• Geno Auriemma on Edwards: “There isn’t an aspect of the game where she’s not playing at an All-American level. If anyone needed any proving, tonight was certainly indicative of that.”
• Morrow still scored 20 points, five below her average, but on only 8-for-26 shooting as Edwards and company frustrated the Blue Demons sophomore from getting open looks all game.
SWEET-SHOOTING LOU: Lou Lopez Senechal set the tone early for the Huskies, hitting her first three 3-point shots on her way to a 20-point night. She finished 4-for-8 from 3-point range and was the only Huskies player to hit from beyond the arc.
UNSUNG GRIFFIN: Aubrey Griffin‘s work often gets overlooked, but she continues to spark UConn with her aggressiveness and athleticism. Griffin had a team-high 11 rebounds — five on the offensive end — and four steals to go with 18 points.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Dorka Juhasz added 19 points and nine rebounds and Nika Muhl — despite going scoreless — filled up the other columns in the box score with 10 assists, eight boards and two blocks.
WELCOME BACK, AYANNA: Ayanna Patterson returned to the court after missing four games while in concussion protocol. The freshman finished with six points and six rebounds, as all three UConn bench players — Patterson, Amari DeBerry and Ines Bettencourt — played double-digit minutes.
EL ALFY SIGHTING: Jana El Alfy, a 2023 recruit who enrolled early, officially joined the team and was on the bench for last night’s game, but she is not expected to play this season. Even if she’s not playing, the 6-foot-4 forward from Cairo can practice and travel with the team.
WHAT GENO HAD TO SAY: “We are getting solid contributions from (everyone). They’ve really bought into their roles and it’s been working. And we have to stay with it for the rest of the season.”
UP NEXT: UConn takes a break from its Big East schedule to play old rival Tennessee in Knoxville on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN) before returning home for a showdown against No. 21 Villanova.
What to Make of the Huskies?
The story: The men’s basketball team dropped to No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and remain a difficult team to judge after a 30-point win over Butler.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: This is simple: Where do you rank the Huskies? We don’t know what we would do and you can make arguments in favor of a voter who voted the Huskies 11th, or for those who left UConn out of the top 25. The truth? Probably something in between.
• UConn only trailed for seven seconds during a 1-1 week against Seton Hall and Butler and had 17-point leads in both games.
• On the flip side, the Huskies are 5-5 in the Big East and are one of four ranked teams in the nation with five losses.
BEASTS OF BIG EAST: UConn is one of four Big East teams ranked, along with Xavier (No. 13), Marquette (No. 16) and Providence (No. 23). Creighton is also receiving votes, as the Big East has the second-most ranked teams in the country.
MEET THE IDOL: Jordan Hawkins is an athletic 6-foot-5 guard who shoots 3-pointers. He had another 6-foot-5 guard visit campus recently to give him some advice — no other than Ray Allen.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Can we take a moment to fete Alex Karaban? The freshman forward has become a mainstay in the rotation. He scored 15 points Sunday against Butler and earned his fourth Big East Freshman of the Week award.
Morning Reads
• Former UConn midfielder Soren Ilsoe has landed a professional soccer contract in Denmark. (UConnhuskies.com)
• Former UConn star Katie Lou Samuelson has joined Vanderbilt’s staff as an assistant coach. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
Top photo: Geno Auriemma coaches his team as Nika Muhl looks on. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
