WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
UMASS LOWELL at No. 3 UCONN
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Gampel Pavilion, Storrs
Records: UMass Lowell 0-1; UConn 0-0
TV: SNY
Radio: UConn Sports Network (97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, WAVZ 1300 AM, WICC 600 AM, WINE 940 AM, WGCH 1490 AM, WILI 1400 AM)
KEEP AN EYE ON
The wait is almost over: Evina Westbrook’s last college game was March 23, 2019, a first round NCAA tournament loss to UCLA. More than 600 days and two knee surgeries later, Westbrook is overflowing with anticipation to get back on the court.
“I feel like I haven’t played in decades,” said Westbrook, who sat out last season after transferring from Tennessee.
Westbrook’s had her left knee operated on twice since arriving in Storrs, most recently last December. She’s still not 100 percent, according to UConn coach Geno Auriemma, but is “trending in the right direction.”
“For E, it’s been a long, long road,” Auriemma said, “and then throw in the surgery and the recovery from that, and having to do the rehab in this COVID environment. That’s a lot of obstacles thrown in the way. I think she’s done a great job of handling it.”
Elsewhere on the injury report: Freshman guard Nika Muhl (left foot) returned to practice Thursday after missing a few days with a left foot injury and looked “good,” according to Auriemma.
“Other than that, the normal aches and pains, the normal sprain this or pull this, all those things that happen every day it seems,” Auriemma said, “Nika’s the only one who’s missed a couple days of practice. That’s it.”
All in the family: Shea Ralph’s husband, Tom Garrick, is in his third season coaching UMass Lowell. What will it be like competing against him?
“Like any other game, him and I, we try to separate our professional and personal lives as best we can,” Ralph said, adding, “Someone’s going to leave disappointed. That’s the reality.”
History lesson: This is the latest start to a season in UConn history and only the second in Auriemma’s 36 years to begin in December. The Huskies have won 24 straight openers dating to an overtime loss to Louisiana Tech in 1995.