DoggyDaddy's UConn/Syracuse Post Game Report

I have to stop saying that UConn has just played the best game I've seen. Game after game. Maybe this is just how good they are? I wouldn't go that far. But right now they are on as good a roll as you can imagine. I would bet that David could come up with the three game stats (AAC Championship game and the two NCAA games) that would just blow us away.

They played close to a perfect offensive game in the first half and just added to that in the third quarter. At one point the had 27 assists and 28 baskets. Unreal.

This is a first half I will watch more than one time. It was a lesson in how to play team basketball. Heck, it even blew Geno away!! 

Enjoy the quotes, videos, stats and plenty of pictures. Oh yeah, my boring opinions too.

Game Highlights

Highlights from Storrs South

 Game Stats and Box Score

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Game Quotes From Geno

From Syracuse.com

''Usually when Kia hits the side of the backboard in practice it goes out of bounds. This time it happened to go in, so you knew it was a big night for us.''

"Those first three quarters … we were about as good as we can be in a lot of the areas, in a lot of the areas that you need to be good in this time of year. They were spectacular in every sense of the word. They had me shaking my head a couple of times.”

"When your center’s the fastest guy on your team and a tremendous ball handler, that’s really tough on the other team,”

Game Quotes from

Syracuse Coach Quentin Hillsman

 From Syracuse.com

''We didn't expect to be going home. We're extremely disappointed.''

“It is tough to find kids who can pass the ball, it really is and he (Auriemma) has five players who can move the ball and make great decisions. They can score from all five spots on the floor so it is tough to guard them.”

"Obviously the outcome wasn't what we wanted. They played really well. All credit goes to them, they're a really good basketball team. They didn't win 108 games in a row because they are ok, they won 108 games because they are really good. At the end of the day, we lost twice to end our season to the best. We have to do all we can to get better and be able to compete at a higher level in the future."

Player Evaluations

Player Interviews

Short Version from UConn Team Site

Long Version from UConn Team Site

Kia Nurse

I found lots of quotes from Kia. And it's how it should be. She is the leader of this team. Period. It was noticeable while she was out that something was missing. And now that the rust is off she is again the leader on the court. But that is just the emotional and mental advantage she gives the Huskies. In the last two games, she is also showing why she was on a lot of pre-season award lists that she dropped off of late in the season. She played a team leading 34 minutes (her ankle is fine) and was hot again from the field. She hit 8 three pointers before finishing 9-12 from beyond the arc. And scored 26 of her 29 points in the first half. Now that she is hitting the three again, she makes it impossible for the opponent to defend UConn. It's easy to look at her three point shooting and say that is all she did in this game. But she was terrific on defense and had 6 assists and only one turnover. Maybe her best game of the season.   

''Once you see one or two go in the net, you shoot it with confidence. Confidence is half the battle.''

''Those are the plays that you have to make. It might not have mattered at that point in the game, but somewhere down the stretch that could be a huge play. It might be a tight game, you have an open 3, make a decision and get the easy two. So I think if you make those decisions and they become habit now they'll help you down the stretch.''

“We saw other games and how they have gone and that is not something we wanted. We wanted to focus on throwing the first punch, really dominating and imposing our will and I think we did that.”

" The boasting allows you to play with a bit of a chip on your shoulder. For us, we like to prove it with the way that we play.”

Katie Lou Samuelson

This was the aggressive Katie Lou, taking the ball to the basket several times and getting to the foul line for 13 shots, making 11 of them. Gotta love that. Lou was only 2-6 from the three point line, but because of her ability to get the line, she was able to still score 23 points. I also loved the 4 assists, on top of her 9 assists in the first NCAA tourney game. It's what Geno was talking about. She has more to give and we are seeing some of it.  

Napheesa Collier

This was kinda a quiet game for Napheesa.  And she still filled up the stat sheet. In her 28 minutes she managed 17 points on 8-9 shooting (bringing her percentage to 69.3) and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. So smooth on the offensive end and so disruptive in the post on defense. I don't think I have seen a player block so many shots without jumping.   

Gabby Williams

Gabby had another complete game. In her 32 minutes, she was 9-14 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line (improving her percentage to 72.5) for a total of 23 points. She added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Her athleticism is just so off the charts. As Geno said, when your center is the fastest player on the court and can handle the ball it puts the opponent as a real disadvantage. I would add to that statement that she is also the best passer. On several occasions she would grab the defensive rebound and looked like she was shot out of a cannon as she started the fast break from the center position. Amazing.   

Saniya Chong

I think Saniya saw early that this was not the game for her to take many shots. Her backcourt mate was on fire so she fed the monster. In her 31 minutes, she was scoreless but only took 2 shots. And she had 6 early assists to set the tone and ended up with 7. And her much improved defense was terrific.

Crystal Dangerfield

Not a good shooting game for Crystal, but in her 23 minutes she scored 2 points, grabbed three rebounds but most importantly she handed out 5 assists and played some solid defense. In a game that was about the big three plus Kia, she did a nice job.

Natalie Butler

Syracuse is not a good matchup for Natalie so she only played 8 minutes in this one. Not much to talk about in her performance.

Kyla Irwin

4 minutes played and she missed her only two foul shots.

Molly Bent

It was the only picture with Molly in it I could find. 3 minutes played. Zeros across the board.  

Tierney Lawlor

2 minutes and 1 steal in her last home game.  

 Final Thoughts

Some really great pictures from this game. I'll share a few!!!!

No wonder Gabby is so effective. She grew another arm!!! 

Are we the luckiest fans in the world? Two Beautiful women!

"Please help me pray....I need it"

"Did you hear the one about......"


Geno doesn't always show his emotion like this. I loved it!!!!

Talking about emotion, this team shows it more than most other versions of the Huskies!!

Check it out!