UConn rolls past St. John’s to advance to tournament semifinals.
Bueckers, Williams pace UConn to first Big East tourney win since 2013
Behind a strong defense and a team-leading 17 points from Paige Bueckers and 14 from Christyn Williams, UConn defeated St. John’s 77-41 Saturday afternoon in a Big East tournament women’s basketball quarterfinal game at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The top-seeded Huskies (22-1) will face No. 5 Villanova, a 78-72 winner over No. 4 DePaul in overtime, on Sunday at 3 p.m. in a semifinal game.
It was UConn’s first Big East tournament game since 2013.
“It’s good to be back in the Big East Tournament,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “There’s something special about it. There’s a uniqueness about it. It’s a shame the fans can’t be part of it. Being back here feels like it’s a normal place to be, even though it’s not normal circumstances.”
Bueckers, who became the first UConn player since Maya Moore to be named the Big East Player of the Year and the conference’s freshman of the year on Friday, struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 2-for-9, but came to life offensively in the third quarter, scoring 11 points.
Nika Muhl left the game and went into the locker room after suffering a left ankle sprain with 7:44 left in the third quarter. She returned to the sideline on crutches.
“We’ll probably know more later,” Auriemma said. “Nika’s a tough kid. She’s going to try to play. If she doesn’t play, it’s because it’s serious.”
The freshmen contributed 38 points and 17 rebounds in their first postseason appearances.
“They did exactly what I expected,” Auriemma said. “It’s their first time so you’re not really sure. I didn’t see anything that looked like apprehension like, ‘Oh my God, it’s the postseason, it’s the tournament.’ ”
Key to victory
UConn’s defense kept St. John’s at arm’s length from the start. The Red Storm shot 6-for-27 from the field in the first half and Leilani Correia, who had 33 points in UConn’s 94-62 victory on Feb. 3, was 2-for-11 in the first half and St. John’s was 0-for-7 from the 3-point line.
“I was really proud of what we did and how we did it,” Auriemma
said. “Our team defense was exceptional.”
Turning point
Really, it was in the first quarter where UConn set the tone for the game defensively, resulting in 11 St. John’s turnovers and two shot clock violations in the first half. Muhl had three of her four steals in the first quarter.
“Definitely in March, the key thing for everyone’s game is their defense,” Bueckers said. “If we set the tone on defense it makes offense a lot easier.”
Starting with an Olivia NelsonOdoda layup off an assist from Bueckers, the Huskies went on a 20-4 run with Correia finally ending St. John’s drought with a jumper with 6:33 left in the second quarter to make the score 24-8.
Player of the game
The game was decided in the first half and Nelson-Ododa carried the team offensively and on the boards as the Huskies pulled away for a 38-15 halftime lead. She had a double-double (11 rebounds, 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting), all in the first half., including five offensive
rebounds.
“That’s been a huge key for us, offensive rebounding, and something that the coaches, the whole staff has kind of enforced on us,” she said. “So making that extra effort to go after the ball on the offensive end and then also trying to finish and score as best as possible in the lane has been super important for us and will be, continuing into March.”
Highlight of the game
Aaliyah Edwards had a pretty spin move under the basket to get around a St. John’s defender midway through the second quarter and hit a layup to give the Huskies a 29-10 lead.
Stats of the game
UConn outscored St. John’s 26-4 in the paint in the first half, 46-10 for the game. The Huskies had 15 points off turnovers before the intermission, 32 for the game. They also outscored St. John’s 30-6 on fast break points, something the Huskies had struggled with against Marquette Monday. .