UCONN @ UCF
Day: Sunday
Date: March 5th 2017
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena
Time: 5:00 PM
TV: ESPN2
No. 1 UConn 30-0 (16-0) Central Florida 20-10 (9-7)
Head to Head games
1/1/14 W 77-49 A
2/19/14 W 83-35 H
1/21/15 W 100-45 A
1/20/16 W 106-51 H
1/1/17 W 84-48 A
1/21/15 W 100-45 A
1/20/16 W 106-51 H
1/1/17 W 84-48 A
Here are their first matchup highlights
Overview
Here is my write-up about the first match-up
UConn did what they had to do against Central Florida, winning 84-48 behind 22 points from Napheesa Collier. She was terrific in this game, where she also added 5 rebounds and 5 assists along with 2 steals and a block.
Katie Lou Samuelson added 17 points and a team leading 7 rebounds. She was terrific on defense with 4 steals and 2 blocks. She was much more engaged in all aspects of her game. Gabby Williams was very efficient in her scoring 15 points, going 6-7 from the field. She also had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks.
These three players had full stat lines and in only 33, 28 and 29 minutes each. I can't remember a front line that had three more complete players. They are a pleasure to watch play.
The backcourt of Chong and Nurse were ok. Disappointing in their taking care of the rock. Way too many turnovers, and a lot of them were just really sloppy basketball. Chong had three turnovers and the last two ended her night. Geno was really pissed at her. And Nurse was not much better with 4 turnovers. Chong did add 7 points on 3-4 shooting and hitting her only three. Nurse scored 9 points and added 5 assists, so all was not terrible. I'd love to see these two play better the next time out.
Geno game plenty of time to the bench and Dangerfield, Butler and Bent all had their moments. Crystal added 8 points and had 4 assists, some of which were just spectacular. She is going to be something special. Butler was strong at times on the boards, but other times let the rebound get away from her. She was way too tentative on offense. I'd love to see her just take that ball to the basket strong. She did end up with 4 points and 4 rebounds in her 16 minutes. Lastly, Molly Bent is a joy to watch. She is so smart on the court. She hit her two free throws and added 2 rebounds. And looked to me like she knew exactly where she should be on the court, both offensively and defensively.
Unless I misread what was going on with UConn's defense, it looked like they were played exclusively a zone during the game. I just didn't see much man-to-man defense. Interesting. I think Geno is going to use the AAC season to work on things to prepare them for South Carolina and some of the teams they might meet the last three games of the NCAA tournament. Zone might be important against the bigger teams they will come up against.
I'm sure Geno will be reminding them of the missed FT's and the 20 turnovers in practice before the play their next game against ECU Wednesday night when they go for their 89th win in a row.
UCF has a new coach and it's clear they are playing a better brand of basketball. Last year they were 7-23 for the season and lost to UConn by 55. In this years game was a little different. UConn only won this one 84-48 but the story was the second half. There have been a few times that UConn has looked "mortal" in the second half. The first Temple game comes to mind. And in this one, UConn had a nice 44-16 lead. But the third quarter was only a 26-19 advantage for the Huskies and in the fourth quarter, the Knights were able to stay right there with UConn, albeit the bench, 13-13. This has to give UCF some semblance of confidence, even if it's probably short lived.
It's been an interesting 2017 for the Knights. They lost to UConn on New Years day in their first conference game and then proceeded to lose two more in a row. They ended up 3-6 for their first nine games of the new year making them the same 3-6 in the conference. But this version of the Knights were much more resilient than last years model. They went on a six game winning streak before losing to Temple in their final regular season game. Saturday's win against Tulane is sending them against the Huskies.
UConn worked out some kinks with Nurse back in the lineup. Actually, just Nurse needs to work out the kinks. Everyone else was terrific. They got to play everyone but Lawlor double digit minutes. It's was a great game to build momentum into this UCF matchup.
Stat by Stat Comparison
Leader is bolded
Leader is bolded
UCONN Central Florida
86.5 Points Per Game 64.0
54.1 Opp Points Per Game 55.6
.520 Field Goal % .417
.345 Opp Field Goal % .386
.388 3 Point Field Goal % .291
.271 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .304
.785 Free Throw % .624
39.4 Rebounds Per Game 40.1
32.8 Opp Rebounds Per Game 30.2
23.3 Assists Per Game 11.5
12.2 Turnovers Per Game 17.3
1.9 Assists/Turnover Ratio .7
1.9 Assists/Turnover Ratio .7
10.2 Steals Per Game 11.1
4.9 Blocks Per Game 1.6
UCONN
UConn Starters
33 Katie Lou Samuelson
6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 29 minutes, 17 points, 7 rebs, 0 assist, 4 steals, 2 blocks
MPG 30.9, FG% .487, 3PT% .415, FT% .832, PPG 20.6, RPG 3.8, APG 2.9
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1" Sophomore Forward/Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 33 minutes, 22 points, 5 rebs, 5 assists, 1 blk, 2 steals
MPG 29.9, FG% .689, 3PT% .421, FT% .842, PPG 20.5, RPG 8.9, APG 2.1
15 Gabby Williams
5'11" Junior Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 28 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebs, 4 assists, 3 blks, 3 steals
MPG 28.3, FG% .560, 3PT% .167, FT% .687, PPG 13.1, RPG 8.6, APG 5.3
11 Kia Nurse
6' Junior Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 29 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebs, 5 assists
MPG 30.7, FG% .456, 3PT% .419, FT% .857, PPG 12.4 RPG 2.3, APG 4.0
12 Saniya Chong
5'8" Senior Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 23 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebs, 1 assists, 1 steal
MPG 30.0, FG% .470, 3PT% .390, FT% .795, PPG 8.2, RPG 2.7, APG 3.9
UConn Bench
5 Crystal Dangerfield
5'5" Freshman Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 23 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebs, 4 assists
MPG 24.2, FG% .410, 3PT% .323, FT% .591, PPG 6.3, RPG 2.3, APG 3.7
51 Natalie Butler
6'5" RS Junior Center
First UConn/USF Game 16 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebs, 2 assists, 1 block
MPG 16.4, FG% .479, 3PT% .000, FT% .750, PPG 5.6, RPG 5.0, APG 1.2
10 Molly Bent
5'9" Freshman Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 13 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists
MPG 10.2 FG% .313, 3PT% .333, FT% .625, PPG 1.2, RPG 1.5, APG 1.3
25 Kyla Irwin
6'2" Freshman Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 3 minutes
MPG 8.4, FG% .440, 3PT% .267, FT% .714, PPG 2.4, RPG 1.5, APG .5
20 Tierney Lawlor
5'7" Senior Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 3 minutes
MPG 3.5, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, FT% .500, PPG 0.0, RPG .4, APG .1
*******************************************************************
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
Head Coach
On April 1, 2016, Katie Abrahamson-Henderson was announced as UCF's head women's basketball coach.
Abrahamson-Henderson comes to UCF after six seasons at Albany, where she led the Great Danes to a combined nine America East Conference tournament and regular season titles. Her Albany teams recorded five 20-win seasons en route to five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s first bid in 2011 and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2016.
Abrahamson-Henderson comes to UCF after six seasons at Albany, where she led the Great Danes to a combined nine America East Conference tournament and regular season titles. Her Albany teams recorded five 20-win seasons en route to five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s first bid in 2011 and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2016.
“We’re proud to welcome Coach Abrahamson-Henderson and her family to UCF,” White said. “I’m confident in Katie’s ability to be a wonderful leader for our women’s basketball student-athletes. She quickly stood out as we were going through the search process. After reviewing her credentials and speaking to her, it became very clear to me that Coach Abrahamson-Henderson is the right leader at the right time for UCF women’s basketball. That feeling was further confirmed after speaking to numerous people about her. She has been a winner as a player and as a coach. We look forward to her bringing that experience to our program. “This was a quick, but thorough search,” White added. “I have the members of my executive team and our search committee to thank for that. Their expertise was crucial to helping us bring Coach Abrahamson-Henderson to Orlando.”
Albany’s first NCAA Division I All-America performer came during Abrahamson-Henderson’s tenure. Numerous Great Dane players have been recognized with America East accolades, including: four Players of the Year awards, four Defensive Players of the Year awards, one Scholar-Athlete of the Year, one Rookie of the Year, nine first-team all-conference selections, 17 total all-conference honors, 12 all-defensive team picks and five all-academic team awards.
Also known as Coach Abe, she was chosen as the America East Coach of the Year three times and guided Albany to a combined 83-13 record in league play. Moreover, Albany won 38-consecutive America East regular season contests from Feb. 1, 2012 through Feb. 26, 2014, setting a new league record and setting what was then the longest conference winning streak in all of Division I. That streak surpassed the old record of 37, set by Maine from 1995-97 under coach Joanne P. McCallie, Coach Abe’s mentor at both Maine and Michigan State.
Abrahamson-Henderson was previously the associate head coach at Indiana prior to moving to Albany and also held that title at Michigan State (2000-02). She served as Missouri State University’s head coach from 2002-07. During her coaching career, she has helped three different teams reach the NCAA Tournament and five programs reach postseason play.
Coach Abe has two decades of experience on the Division I level. She guided Missouri State’s program to three Missouri Valley Conference tournament championships, two MVC regular-season titles and three NCAA berths. The Bears, who also won the 2005 WNIT championship, posted a 95-61 record during her five seasons.
In addition, she coached a pair of MVC players of the year, 11 all-conference honorees, two of the program’s all-time leading scorers, three players who went on to professional careers, and 13 MVC scholar-athletes.
Following her stay at Missouri State, Abrahamson-Henderson worked at Washington in the Pacific-10 Conference as assistant coach and co-recruiting coordinator in 2007-08. Prior to that, she served as associate head coach for Indiana on Felisha Legette-Jack’s staff. The Hoosiers advanced to the 2009 WNIT quarterfinals and finished with a 21-11 record.
At one of her most successful stops as an assistant, Abrahamson-Henderson helped Iowa State (1994-00) clinch four-consecutive NCAA appearances, including runs to the 1999 Elite Eight and 2000 Sweet 16. The Cyclones won the Big 12 regular season and tournament title in 2000 and saw two of their own selected in the WNBA Draft that year.
An accomplished student-athlete and a Parade Magazine and USA Today High School All-American, Abrahamson-Henderson played two seasons at Georgia for Andy Landers before transferring to Iowa to compete for Basketball Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer. At Iowa, she was a member of two Big Ten Conference championship teams and played in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. As a freshman at Georgia, she helped the Bulldogs capture the 1986 Southeastern Conference title.
Central Florida Bench
25 Tolulope Omokore
5'11" Sophomore Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 12 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 block
19.6, FG% .476, 3PT% .000, PPG 7.3, RPG 6.2, APG .1
5'10" Junior Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 37 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebs, 1 steal
Central Florida Bench
23 Zykira Lewis
5'8" Senior Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 36 minutes, 15 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals
MPG 31.8, FG% .393, 3PT% .314, PPG 15.5, RPG 2.9, APG 2.8
2 Korneila Wright
5'7" Freshman Guard
First UConn/UCF Game 36 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 6 steals
MPG 29.6, FG% .378, 3PT% .375, PPG 4.8, RPG 3.0, APG 4.0
12 Nyala Shuler
6' RS Sophomore Forward
6' RS Sophomore Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 28 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
MPG 21.3, FG% .298, 3PT% .135, PPG 3.0, RPG 5.2, APG .7
32 Joclyn Massey
6' RS Senior Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 16 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds
MPG 24.5, FG% .524, 3PT% .500, PPG 6.4, RPG 6.9, APG .7
24 Fifi Nadour
6'1" Junior Forward
First UConn/UCF Game 21 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds
MPG 21.6, FG% .452, 3PT% .000, PPG 8.1, RPG 5.6 APG .5
Game Analysis
UCF plays a little bigger than their height would tell you. They have several 5'11" to 6'1" guard/forwards that are aggressive on the boards. They grab 40+ rebounds per game, more than UConn does. But UCF's problem is not rebounding or height as much as it is their shooting and handling the ball. They have a terrible shooting percentage of 42% and they are a terrible three point shooting team at 29%. They went 1-11 on threes in the first UConn matchup.
5'8" guard Zykira Lewis and 5'10" guard Alisa Gregory are the leading scorers and best players on the team. Lewis is a dynamic player in the mold of the other tough guards in the conference. She is a volume shooter and takes almost eight three-pointers per game. Look for her to shoot often.
6' forward Joclyn Massey is their best rebounds and in general is their best frontcourt player. She is good at finishing around the basket shooting 50%+ from the field.
Defensively, UCF is adept at turning the other team over, including doing a great job on steals. In the first matchup freshman Korneila Wright had six steals on her own.
UConn will pressure early and continue to work Nurse into the game. They will need her to be as productive as before the injury by the time the late games in the NCAA's happen. It's really going to a be a big focus for Geno.
UConn really passed well in the game against Tulsa and I expect that to continue. Lots of inside baskets for Collier and Williams.
5'8" guard Zykira Lewis and 5'10" guard Alisa Gregory are the leading scorers and best players on the team. Lewis is a dynamic player in the mold of the other tough guards in the conference. She is a volume shooter and takes almost eight three-pointers per game. Look for her to shoot often.
6' forward Joclyn Massey is their best rebounds and in general is their best frontcourt player. She is good at finishing around the basket shooting 50%+ from the field.
Defensively, UCF is adept at turning the other team over, including doing a great job on steals. In the first matchup freshman Korneila Wright had six steals on her own.
UConn will pressure early and continue to work Nurse into the game. They will need her to be as productive as before the injury by the time the late games in the NCAA's happen. It's really going to a be a big focus for Geno.
UConn really passed well in the game against Tulsa and I expect that to continue. Lots of inside baskets for Collier and Williams.
Final Prediction
UConn will do what they did in the first matchup only for longer than just the first half. UCF just doesn't defend well enough or score enough points to make this more than another easy AAC game for the Huskies. UCF does hold teams other than UConn to under 70 points every game. But it's too much to expect from the Knights.
UConn should come close to the 100 points again and I don't expect UCF to hit 50.
UConn by 50+.
UConn should come close to the 100 points again and I don't expect UCF to hit 50.
UConn by 50+.
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