Doggy's UConn/Tulsa Post Game Report

   










                                                

This was a most enjoyable game. After consecutive games where the offense was struggling, UConn found the cure with the Tulsa defense and the friendly confines of Gampel Pavilion. 

Shooting a season high 60% on threes, second to only the Oklahoma game from the floor at 55%, the Huskies were in control of this game from start to finish.

As good as their offense was, their defense was just as dominating. They held Tulsa to 25.9% from the field and 13.3% (4-30) from the three point line. UConn forced 21 turnovers as well.

I loved the Anna Dance. Click the link for the video. 

I loved the versatility of her game. She had maybe 4 different finishes on layups, with this backward flip my favorite. The players would mimic her motion on the bench. Hysterical.   

Enjoy the videos, interviews and my player evaluations.  

   

TOP FIVE PLAYS

Game Replay

 

SNY Pre and Post Game Shows

Game Stats and Box Score

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Post Game Interviews

Geno

Crystal Dangerfield

Megan Walker

Anna Makurat

Game Quotes from Geno

“These last three or four games Anna’s looked really really good. She’s getting more and more comfortable every day and finding spots on the floor where she can be successful. She feels better shooting the ball,  she’s getting better defensively. She’s getting more comfortable every day. She’s finding spots on the floor where she can be successful, and she feels better shooting the ball. She’s getting better defensively. I’m not surprised that [she played like she did Sunday]. She just needed to see the ball go in a lot.”

“Having somebody like Anna with the ball in her hands, and can make shots and can see — she throws the right pass at the right time more times than not, and she can see who’s open on the other side of the floor more times than some of our other guards can. If she keeps building on this, it helps you in three spots and three positions on the floor, not just one: helps you as a point guard because she passes well, helps you as a shooter and helps you as a big guard who can defend maybe and rebound.”

“We just came off a week where we may have gotten some of the same shots that didn’t go in, and today they went in. Everybody felt good, and it just built and it just kind of snowballed."

“Some of their lack of scoring was us; some of that was them. And the first half, we really made it difficult for them to get where they were going. ... We’re going to have to keep working to find a true defensive identity of who we are. And our defense has been good, don’t get me wrong, but I think there’s more that we can do. Today was along that path that we’re going down.”

Game Quotes from

Tulda Coach Matilda Mossman

"They were shooting the ball extremely well, their pressure got to us. They were anticipating passes and getting up in passing lanes. Sometimes we were guilty of dribbling into them and they would double the ball and we were turning it over that way.”

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UConn Player Evaluations

Anna Makurat   

Player of the Game

She's here!! The player that I watched in several highlight videos with her play in Poland has arrived. 

And Geno is trusting her more and more. In this game she played 29 minutes, only behind Christyn Williams in playing time. Anna was just spectacular in her time on the court. She was 8-12 from the field, 4-7 on threes (and her misses were right there, just spinning out) and 1-1 on free throws. She is so creative and has (ok, I'll say it) Diana like vision on the court. She added 6 rebounds and a team leading 5 assists. And she is figuring out this defensive thing with three steals. I'm excited to see where this game leads her for the rest of the season. The core four may have to add one more! 

“I just trust the process I think,” she said. “Just don’t overthink stuff and play the game of basketball. It’s started to work for me. I hope it’s going to get better and better. I just want to stay confident.”

Megan Walker

I read on message board that Walker is inconsistent. No, she's not. In only 26 minutes she scored 24 points on 9-12 shooting and she was 3-5 on threes. She had 2-3 hard drives to the basket showing that she was not going to be denied, absorbing the contact to finish. The form on her jump shot is just perfect.  Megan was very active on defense as well with three steals.

“When you see things clicking, you see everyone in the right spots, everyone is hustling, everyone is playing hard, that’s where the energy’s coming from,” 

“I feel like we executed well on the offensive and defensive end. We wanted to take away some of their passes because they like to run a set offense, so if you take the pass away, they don’t know what to do. So we did that, and we got a bunch of transition baskets, and then on the offensive end we shot the ball well from the 3-point line.”

Crystal Dangerfield

This was another great game for the senior leader on the team. Her ability to shoot the long three pointer off of screens is starting to be her signature play. She gets the shot off so quickly, it's impossible to defend. Crystal only played 27 minutes in this game, but her production was solid. She had 16 points, 3 rebounds along with 4 assists. And zero turnovers. I loved that she was 4-5 on threes. Amazing shooting.    

Christyn Williams

Talk about playing through contact, check out the picture above. I believe she made this basket and 1! In a real up and down season for Christyn, this was a good game for her. She played a team leading 31 minutes and while she only scored 11 points, she had a nice, solid game. It was good to see her hit 3-4 three pointers. UConn really needs her to be another outside scoring option.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa

I watched the game and was surprised that Olivia had only 6 points. She was very active in this game as she added a team leading 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. I tell you, she is going to start making those fade-away jumpers soon. I know Megan Cuomo wants her to jump into the defender, but the fade-away jumper from someone 6'5" is unstoppable. She just has to make them.   

Kyla Irwin

A typical game for Irwin lately. Not much scoring but solid rebounding and passing. And her usual facilitating and screening. She only play 17 minutes in this game, and if Anna keeps playing like this, her minutes will stay at that level. However, her cheering (see above picture) is excellent!

Aubrey Griffin

Man, this girl is athletic. I don't know if she is Gabby-like like some have said,  but she is by far the best athlete on the team. In 18 minutes, she was 4-5 from the field and 3-5 on free throws for 11 points. To me it's her defense that will get her minutes. She is just long and quick and and handful for anyone to deal with.   

Molly Bent

Molly just looks more comfortable out there lately. While it doesn't show in the stats, she no longer is a turnover machine. She played 16 minutes and hit two free throws. But she did have three steals and kept UConn's momentum going while on the court.

Evelyn Adebayo

I love that she is getting minutes. I don't understand why she doesn't post up more or the team doesn't get her the ball in the post when she does. She has a big body and can finish with either hand. It's amazing what a lack of confidence can do to a player. Hopefully, she can get more minutes and more confidence in the weak AAC schedule in time to have her be a productive player in the tournament. In this game she played 14 minutes and only took one shot. But she did a great job getting rebounding position, grabbing 6 of them.    

 Final Thoughts

IF looks could kill, Coach Matilda Mossman's daggers would be piercing poor Megan's back.

Well, the game I never thought would happen is almost here. UConn/Tennessee. Wow.

I'm working hard on the Pre Game Report. It should be out soon. Just waiting for Tennessee to play against Alabama to see the final stats before I publish the report.

I'm so glad that UConn broke out of their shooting slump before this game. I hope it carries forward.