Big East champs, again
No. 1 UConn races past Creighton, claims regular-season title for 20th time
There are undoubtedly bigger, more ambitious goals on Geno Auriemma’s to-do list. That said, for the longest time, the first order of business for the Hall of Fame coach has been winning the conference’s regular-season championship. Check. Top-ranked UConn accomplished the feat Thursday, and did so without much trouble, hammering Creighton 81-49 at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb.
It was the Huskies’ 20th Big East title and first since 2011. They spent the last seven seasons in the American Athletic Conference, where they went 139-0 in league play.
“All those years in all the various versions of the Big East, and then the last seven years in the AAC, and now back to the Big East, that’s always goal No. 1, that’s always the thing that I think players will respond to,” Auriemma said. “It proves that you’re the best team in the league that you play in.”
Creighton scored the game’s first bucket, but UConn (19-1, 16-0) rolled from there, ripping off 16 straight points. Freshman Nika Muhl had 11 of those, and 15 of the Huskies’ first 20.
Muhl didn’t score in the second or third quarters, but finished with a teamhigh 19 points and five steals. She was 8 of 13 from the floor, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.
“She’s been working on shooting the ball. You know, she’s my slime, man. What can I tell you?” Auriemma joked, referring to a nickname for a friend. “That’s like the ultimate. That’s her, Nika. That’s my slime.”
“He doesn’t know what it means,” Muhl said with a laugh.
The Huskies shot 51.6%
and were balanced offensively, with three players joining Muhl in double figures. Guard Christyn Williams scored 16 points, Paige Bueckers added 13 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 11 points and 11 boards.
“I don’t know that it was always smooth sailing,” Auriemma said, “but I like that we spread it around and we weren’t so dependent on one or two people to get most of the scoring.”
For a change, it wasn’t Bueckers or Williams doing the heavy lifting offensively. That’s thanks to Muhl, a defensive-minded, passfirst guard who poured in 15 points in the first 6 minutes and 23 seconds. She hit three 3-pointers and was 6 for 8 shooting in the first quarter, as UConn outscored Creighton 27-13.
“I was building confidence in practice a lot the past few days,” Muhl said, “and they were leaving me quite wide open at the beginning of the game. I just took the shots, had the confidence, and my teammates had the confidence in me.”
UConn’s offensive dominance continued in the second quarter. The Huskies’ lead grew to 24 and was 42-21 at the break.
Temi Carda led Creighton (7-10) with 24 points.
UConn will have a quick turnaround with a visit to Butler on tap for Saturday.