Doggydaddy's Den: DoggyDaddy's Dailies 11/2/16

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It was so much fun to see the Huskies on the court again. I wanted to scream like KLS did in the picture above.

While the video was just from the side with no replays, the play-by-play by the radio folks was excellent. They showed that Morgan Tuck was in attendance. Always great to see her. Just a reminder that UConn was playing a Div II team that was totally outmanned athletically so all my comments have to be taken with that in mind.

The first thing I noticed was that there was no knee brace for Chong. And she looked fine the entire first half when in the game.

Well, it didn't take long for UConn to score. Gabby Williams jumped center, won the tap with a forward motion to Samuelson who drove in for the layup and was fouled. Quite the start. That took all of 3 seconds. On pace for 800 points....lol.

Early on it looked like Samuelson was trying to make up for the big three's scoring all by herself. She was ready to shoot as soon as she thought she was open. I loved her mid range jumper and her drive and pull up from in close. I'm sure she will settle in and play more in the team flow.

Gabby Williams was all over the place. Rebounding, steals, defensive pressure, she was involved in almost every phase of the game.

The first sub of the game was Butler for Williams. Natalie played well. She showed no hesitation when in position under the basket.

I loved the Nurse to Chong pass on a fast break. Molly Bent was the first freshman off the bench wearing No. 10. The first player since Sue Bird to wear that number. She did not look out of place, especially on the defensive end. She played text book on the ball defense, moving her feet to keep the ball handler in front of her.

UConn led 33-19 at the end of the first quarter. Kia Nurse hit a nice three to cap the scoring.

A disappointing defensive first quarter for the Huskies. Too many open shots allowed.

Chong was terrific at the start of the second quarter. She made a quick steal, going coast to coast for the layup and then picked up a loose ball and made a terrific pass in traffic to Williams for a layup.

Butler grabbed a rebound and what I want ot see more of. A Wes Unseld (dating myself) over the head pass to initiate the break.

Williams had a crazy offensive rebound and put back. She jumped higher than anyone else and in one motion put the ball in the basket and was fouled. Amazing.

Dangerfield finally entered the game with only two minutes left in the half. But, boy was it worth the wait. She grabbed a missed shot and dribbled down the court. Once past midcourt she delivers a no-look pass to Collier for the layup. Nice!!

After going 1-4 from the FT line to start the game, UConn was 11-12 to finish the half. They led the country last year. Looks good for a repeat performance.

After giving up 5 points in the first quarter, UConn kicked up their defense, holding IUP to only 5 points in the second quarter. Geno had to be happier with that effort. The extended pressure allowed UConn to take a 68-24 lead at the half on a Nurse three point play at the buzzer.

The second half started as the game did. A quick basket and a foul on a nice pass by Williams down low to a cutting Collier.

And the rest of the second quarter was the Gabby Williams show. Rebounds, put backs, assists, blocks, steals. She was just doing it all. What an amazing athlete.

It was nice to see Chong and Nurse hit back to back threes. UConn will need to see plenty of that from their back court duo.

IUP was able to hit a few threes in the quarter, but outside of that, UConn again played excellent defense against the overmatched Crimson Hawks.

Butler again was the first sub off the bench, along with Bent.

A great crossover dribble by Samuelson who finished with the left hand. A really nice play.

It was 92-33 at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter was a lot of sloppy play. They struggled to score but the effort was there.

UConn finally scored their 100th point with 2:49 remaining in the game on a nice dribble penetration by Dangerfield and a dish to Irwin. Crystal made several nice passes as did Butler in the post to a cutting Irwin who was the beneficiary of the nice assists. I really liked Irwin's play. She rebounds with both hands and has a nice left hand to finish plays. The subs did a nice job, scoring 11 points over the last 3 minutes for a final of 111-39.

UConn was led by Samuelson with 24 points. Williams added 22 points and 9 rebounds along with 6 assists. Nurse scored 17 points and added 3 assists. Collier had 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Chong was the fifth starter with double digit scoring with 11 points.

The bench played under control. Butler scored 8 points and snagged 9 rebounds. Irwin played a terrific game in her limited minutes scoring 12 points. And Dangerfield handed out 3 slick assists. Bent didn't have much impact on offense, but as I said earlier, I loved her on the ball defense.

On to the next game on Sunday at the XL center. I hope to make that game in person.

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By David in Naples!!!!!

The season starts tonight with an exhibition game at Gampel against IUP. UConn has many streaks on the line this year. While exhibition games don't count, here are the main streaks on the line starting Monday November 14th.

1. Victories in 75 straight games, including regular season, conference and NCAA tournament play.
2. Sweet 16 appearances for the last 23 years.
3. A home winning streak of 49 straight games.
4. UConn has 11 seasons in a row with 30 wins.
5. The NCAA tournament consecutive streak is up to 28 appearances without a miss.
6. The Final Four has included the Huskies for 9 straight years.

Not all these streaks may survive this coming season. Then again, UConn has Geno and the rest don't. 8-)