Huskies at their best against Villanova

Team’s 3 junior leaders were major contributors in rout

The UConn women’s Tuesday night game against Villanova was hardly a perfect performance.

But we did get a glimpse of what the Huskies look like when they’re at their best.

Juniors Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, along with redshirt junior Evina Westbrook, left their fingerprints all over the team’s 90-52 win against the Wildcats — once more serving as a reminder that no matter how promising this year’s freshman class is, the Huskies will only go as far as that upperclassmen trio takes them.

“When the three of them are able to do what they did,” Auriemma said, “that just takes a lot of the pressure off everybody else.”

For the first time this season, the Huskies’ upperclassmen notched at least 17 points apiece, accounting for 60% of the team’s points (freshman Paige Bueckers was their fourth double-digit scorer with 19 as well).

Williams followed up her best offensive outing of the season versus Xavier with another strong effort Tuesday night. Though she didn’t shoot great from beyond the arc (2-for-6), the guard still made her presence felt by looking to drive to the basket while also totaling eight rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

“This was another all-around good game by Christyn,” Auriemma said. “A get-to-thebasket game, a rebound game, a lot of really good stuff.”

Nelson-Ododa could have avoided getting herself into early foul trouble, and her having to sit in the second quarter allowed Villanova to cut the deficit. But she was also the player who fueled UConn’s decisive third-quarter burst, scoring eight of its 10 unanswered points to ultimately put it ahead by 20.

The junior center was efficient from the field (7-for-9), recorded three blocks and drew more fouls (six) than any other player on the court. UConn finished the game with a 21-2 edge in free-throw attempts.