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UCONN 100 DEPAUL 67
Ok, I'll admit it. I watched Evina Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa turn the ball over time after time, Westbrook coming up short on several three point attempts in the first quarter. And when UConn was down 22-18 after that quarter and when Lexi Held hit a LONG three to put DePaul up 27-22 two minutes into the second quarter, I had visions of the Arkansas game and the possibility of UConn's streak of not losing two games in a row going by the wayside. Then UConn played like the team we want to see out there. Strong on defense and crisp on offense.
If you can, watch that second quarter again. The Huskies played maybe their best switching man-to-man defense all season. Those switches were seamless. It really was something to watch. A little more of this against Arkansas and there was a good chance they win that game.
Offensively, it was the Paige Bueckers show. In that quarter, where UConn outscored DePaul 29-11, Bueckers either assisted on a basket or scored one herself. Well, almost on every basket. She was just amazing. And that carried into the third quarter as well. However, all the players got into the act in regards to passing the ball. UConn had 9 assisted baskets and there were 4 different players with a hand in that. I said this in another blog but I believe this is one of, if not the best passing UConn team I've seen.
I read a tweet by a former pro player who also is a trainer and he said that Paige would be a top 5 point guard right now....in the WNBA. I think I wrote the other day that she could play in the W. It's clearly becoming apparent to everyone. And as the season keeps progressing, she will only get better and better. That should be very scary for the rest of WCBB.
A few other player observations -
Bueckers ended up with 22 points, going 8-15 from the field and 5-7 on threes. She added 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Just check out the highlight video I posted. Wow. Oh yeah, and only 1 turnover.
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Westbrook was a demon (no pun intended) on the defensive glass. She grabbed 13 of them. And only 1 offensive rebound. Slacker! After a really slow shooting start, she hit her last 2 threes, and scored 12 points and added 5 assists. Oh those 6 turnovers. but those were early.
Christyn Williams had the quietest 29 points I've ever seen. She was really strong on the boards, drove strong to the basket and played some really tough defense on the DePaul shooters. Her three offensive rebounds turned right into UConn baskets. It really looked like Williams was as determined as I have seen her in a game. I think the Arkansas game really pissed her off. Hopefully she will bring that attitude into every game going forward!!
Olivia Nelson Ododa had an OK game but I think Geno and UConn fans would still like to see more from her. In this game she scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. I especially liked her 2 assists, they were sweet! If she would stop bringing the ball down before make a move to the basket she would have less turnovers. I'm sure she has been working on it. It's a tough habit to drop.
It was a strange game for Aubrey Griffin. She got hit in the face and head on one play and left the game. I was worried it could be a concussion, but thankfully she re-entered the game last. In her 23 minutes she did hit 5-6 shots for her 10 points and had 8 rebounds. Solid, but she didn't get to the free throw line and that is unusual.
Geno is really starting to trust Nika Muhl. She is not just playing garbage time like earlier in the year. She is a solid contributor who brings a defensive intensity that the team needs. In this game she scored 5 points and added 3 assists. Not bad for a back up point guard. She still rushed a little and that led to 3 turnovers in her 19 minutes.
Edwards was a big presence in the post, but geeze, you'd think she would grab more than her one rebound in 15 minutes. But I loved her offensive game. She seals the defender in the post really well and knows how to finish. She also hit a nice elbow jumper. She finished going 5-8 from the field for 10 points. And she had two assists to join the gang in good passing.
Mclean had a few fleeting minutes and Gabriel had two rebounds and a block in 3 minutes.
Last but not least, to my surprise, Saylor Poffenbarger made her first appearance for the Huskies after only a week of practice. I was really surprised that every time she touched the ball on offense she shot it. And they were all three pointers. And they all missed the mark. I read later that Paige told her to just shoot the ball every time she touched it. So she did. She really is a great shooter. Look for her to hit a few. She won't go Oh-for-UConn.
I was happy to hear the announcer say that Anna Makurat is expected back in a couple of weeks. It was a passing comment so I'm not sure if it's true or just a guess on the announcer's part. Hoping it's true. I would love another player in the regular rotation.
Overall stats were terrific. 57% from the field, 40% on threes, 25 assists, 14 turnovers, 5 blocks. They out-rebounded DePaul 50-31. UConn held DePaul to 36% shooting and 30% on threes. Nice job.
Next up is St. John's on Wednesday at home. Then Friday at Marquette. And finally the South Carolina game at home on Big Monday. I can't wait!!
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After this afternoon's win, @UConnWBB Paige Bueckers joined @sarahkustok! #BIGEASTwbb pic.twitter.com/GtGWFddjwN
— BIG EAST WBB (@BIGEASTWBB) January 31, 2021
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GAME VIDEOS
**** NOTE ****
If you are on a phone the videos don't appear to work.
As a workaround I made the video descriptions linkable.
Just click on it.
Sorry about that!!!
Game Replay
No. 5 UCLA vs No. 10 Arizona - Postponed
No. 11 Oregon at Colorado - Postponed
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By David in Naples
A very nice bounce back win for UConn 100-67 over conference foe DePaul. With that win, the Huskies have now gone 1,005 games without back-to-back loses. Their record is 66-0 in games after a loss. Think about that, Geno and the Huskies have only lost 66 of the last 1,005 games. 😎
Some weird stats in that game. For example:
1, DePaul only had 2 assists in the first half out of 12 baskets.
2. Evina started the first half slow, going 1-6 with 5 turnovers, but grabbed 11rebounds. Apparently, we got the rebounding Westbrook.
3. DePaul scored 11 fewer points in the 2nd period than the 1st and UConn scored 11 more.
4. Also in the first half, Paige went 4-4 from the arc and 1-5 from inside it.
5. The Huskies 1st half rebound advantage was 29-12 and the light blue Demons grabbed only 1 offensive board.
The final stats also had some weird numbers. Consider:
1, Christyn went 10-11 from inside the three point arc.
2. A player who was in high school two weeks ago played for UConn and took 3 shots in 3 minutes.
3. Paige was 5-7 outside the 3 pt arc and 3-8 inside. Back up Bueckers...
4. Paige had 10 assists, and the “bigs” Ono, Edwards and Griffin all had 10 points.
5. Bueckers finished 3 rebounds short of a triple double.
Go Huskies..!!
Some weird stats in that game. For example:
1, DePaul only had 2 assists in the first half out of 12 baskets.
2. Evina started the first half slow, going 1-6 with 5 turnovers, but grabbed 11rebounds. Apparently, we got the rebounding Westbrook.
3. DePaul scored 11 fewer points in the 2nd period than the 1st and UConn scored 11 more.
4. Also in the first half, Paige went 4-4 from the arc and 1-5 from inside it.
5. The Huskies 1st half rebound advantage was 29-12 and the light blue Demons grabbed only 1 offensive board.
The final stats also had some weird numbers. Consider:
1, Christyn went 10-11 from inside the three point arc.
2. A player who was in high school two weeks ago played for UConn and took 3 shots in 3 minutes.
3. Paige was 5-7 outside the 3 pt arc and 3-8 inside. Back up Bueckers...
4. Paige had 10 assists, and the “bigs” Ono, Edwards and Griffin all had 10 points.
5. Bueckers finished 3 rebounds short of a triple double.
Go Huskies..!!
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No. 4 South Carolina 87 Alabama 63 - Down 41-40 at the half, South Carolina used a big 3rd quarter to take a ten point lead and then slammed the door with a 23-9 four quarter for the 24 point win. Zia Cooke was key to the rally, tallying 12 of her team-high 21 points in the third quarter. After Alabama shot 50% in the first half, the Gamecocks held the Crimson Tide to just 31.3% from the field in the third quarter. Destanni Henderson was terrific in this game with 14 points, 7 assists and 3 steals. Aliyah Boston grabbed 13 rebounds and had 6 assists, but her shooting woes continued, going 2-10 from the field and missing her only 3 pointer. Jordan Lewis led Alabama with 19 points.
No. 6 Stanford 74 Washington 48 - Hannah Jump had 15 points off the bench and No. 6 Stanford used a fast start beat shorthanded Washington. The Cardinal (14-2, 12-2 Pac-12) led by 19 after scoring a season-high 28 points in the first quarter. Lexie Hull and Kiana Williams both added 12 points for the Cardinal.
The Cardinal get to finally play at Maples Pavilion for the first time since late November beginning this week. Stanford had a brief scare when leading scorer Haley Jones limped off the court midway through the first quarter grabbing at her right knee. She sat the entire second quarter but returned to start the second half and finished with 12 points playing 20 minutes. Quay Miller led Washington with 14 points. Haley Van Dyke and Darcy Rees both finished with nine. Washington had only nine players in uniform and was without leading scorer Tameiya Sadler. I think it's been mentioned before but Stanford is not the same Stanford team they usually are. In this game they had only 11 assists on 29 baskets and 15 turnovers.
No. 8 Texas A&M 60 No. 22 Georgia 48 - N’dea Jones had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 8 Texas A&M over No. 22 Georgia. The Aggies added 13 points from Kayla Wells and 10 from Ciera Johnson 12. Gabby Connally had 18 points for Georgia and Que Morrison added 12. A&M used defense to build a 57-44 lead as Georgia missed 11 of 12 field goals. Turnovers were huges the Aggies scored 21 points off 18 Lady Bulldogs turnovers. The Aggies had the same number of turnovers, but Georgia scored only three points of them. Texas A&M took control of the game in the third quarter with an 8-0 run for a 39-30 lead capped by a Jones’ jumper. Wells added a layup in the spurt with Jones scoring two layups. The Aggies scored the last five points of the first half for a 22-22 tie as Johnson had a three-point play and added another free throw as did Aaliyah Wilson. Georgia took its biggest lead of the half on back to back 3-pointers by Morrison and Connally to make it 20-15 with 3:14 left.
No. 9 Baylor 85 Iowa State 77 - Nalyssa Smith scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 9 Baylor held on to beat Iowa State. The Lady Bears (12-2, 7-1 Big 12) had lost their last two meetings with the Cyclones, including a 75-71 defeat on Jan. 6. Dijonai Carrington added 17 points and Moon Ursin added 11 points and 15 rebounds. Ashley Joens led Iowa State with 25 points and seven rebounds. Baylor started slowly hitting just two of its first 11 shots and falling behind the Cyclones 17-11 in the first quarter. The Lady Bears surged ahead in the second quarter with a 16-5 run to go ahead 38-30. Iowa State took a brief 59-57 lead in the third quarter and was within 72-70 early in the fourth. Baylor gradually pulled away on consecutive baskets by Smith and a jump from Carrington that gave the Lady Bears a 78-70 cushion with 4:24 left to play. The Cyclones were able to stay close by making 12 of their first 21 3-point attempts before fading. Joens, who began this weekend as one of only two players nationally averaging more than 24 points and nine rebounds, scored 16 first half points.
No. 15 Kentucky 61 Missouri 55 - Rhyne Howard scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Kentucky over Missouri at Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky got 10 points and nine rebounds from Dre’una Edwards. It was a really ugly game. The Cats made just 22 of 60 of their shots in the game, including just three of 13 from behind the arc. Missouri made 20 of 52 from the field and just one of 18 (5.6 percent) from behind the arc. Kentucky’s bench came up big in this game, outscoring Missouri’s bench 21-6. Kentucky also had a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers. LaDazhia Williams had 23 points and 6 rebounds to lead Missouri.
No. 16 Indiana 79 Michigan State 67 - MacKenzie Holmes fired in 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting to lead four players in double figures as Indiana women defeated Michigan Statein Bloomington, Indiana. Nia Clouden had 19 points for the Spartans. MSU led 41-33 at halftime only to see Indiana go on a 25-15 third-quarter run. Alisia Smith finished with 17 points and eight rebounds while Janai Smith added 10 points for MSU, which shot 48% from the field. Ali Patberg scored 15, Aleska Gulbe 14 and Jaelynn Penn 13 for the Hoosiers, who shot 55% from the floor, including 7-of-10 on 3-pointers.
No. 19 Arkansas 77 Auburn 67 - Amber Ramirez hit three of her five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 19 points as No. 19 Arkansas turned back Auburn Sunday. The Razorbacks, clearly a little sluggish after handing No. 3 UConn its loss first of the season on Thursday, overcame a big early deficit with a strong second quarter before putting the Tigers away in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Dungee, who was electric against UConn with 37 points, added 16 for Arkansas despite shooting just 5 of 14. Destiny Slocum added 14 points. Unique Thompson led Auburn with 18 points and 19 rebounds and Honesty Scott-Grayson added 17 points. A 14-2 run over the second half of the first quarter gave Auburn an 18-9 lead, which was the lowest scoring quarter of the season for Arkansas. The lead reached 13 early in the second quarter before the Razorbacks scored 22 of the next 26 points to lead 33-28 at the break. Thompson scored 10 points in the third quarter to keep the Arkansas lead in single digits but Ramirez hit her third 3 of the fourth quarter with 5:17 to play for a 69-55 lead. The Razorbacks made 9 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. Auburn had a 50-30 rebounding advantage and made 19 of 21 free throw but only shot 34%, going 2 of 14 from 3-point range while the Razorbacks hit 11 threes.
No. 20 Tennessee 79 Florida 65 - The No. 20 Tennessee women’s basketball team defeated Florida. Tamari Key was the leading scorer for Tennessee, putting up a career-high 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, good for her first career triple-double. She shot an impressive 83.3% (10-12) from the field, and added an assist and a steal. Rae Burrell scored 21 points on 8-16 on field goals, and grabbed 9 rebounds, finishing just shy of a double-double. Tennessee played for most of the first quarter behind in the score. Key scored a quick four points to open the game, but Florida responded with a 9-0 run, and the Gators held the lead for the rest of the first. Three minutes into the second, the Lady Vols took the lead and never gave it back, playing to a 38-31 halftime lead. Though Tennessee held the lead for the entirety of the third quarter, it looked uncertain for the Big Orange at one point. Florida gained momentum and rallied back, scoring 13 points while holding the Lady Vols to just four points, and entered the fourth quarter down just 58-54. Key took over the game in the fourth quarter, at a time when the Lady Vols needed it most. She totaled nine points, five rebounds and four blocks to complete her triple-double. Florida was led by Briggs and Kiara Smith, were held to a combined two points in the fourth, after scoring 44 of the Gators’ 54 points through three quarters. They were Florida’s leading scorers on the day, both putting up 23 points. Smith had a double-double, with 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Briggs added nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.
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