Cougars left ‘shell-shocked’
Unable to find rhythm, UH suffers 2nd loss in a row
The University of Houston found out early it was in trouble, which is usually the case for most teams playing the top-ranked women’s basketball team in the nation.
Connecticut raced to a double-digit lead and cruised to a 95-35 victory over the Cougars at H&PE Arena on Saturday.
Azura Stevens had 19 points and 10 rebounds as UConn won its 101st consecutive regular-season game. The Huskies also extended their streak of 87 consecutive wins in the American Athletic Conference. No easy openings
UH coach Ron Hughey said the Cougars were “a little shell-shocked” at the beginning, and it showed as the Cougars struggled with UConn’s size and length and a 2-3 zone that made it difficult to get any close, open shots. UH entered the game with 40 3-pointers in AAC play, but it missed the first nine attempts and made only 4-of-26 in the game.
“We weren’t able to get (transition 3s) because they were measuring up to the ball and pushing us three and four feet behind the 3-point line,” Hughey said. “I don’t have Steph Curry on the team.”
UH had 28 turnovers that UConn converted into 38 points. The Cougars shot a season-low 20.3 percent.
At one point early in the fourth quarter, the Cougars had more turnovers (24) than points (21).
“Defensively, we were really active. The energy we played with, it was very difficult to find any easy openings against us,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “They are a team that likes to shoot a lot of 3s. They traditionally do, and make a bunch. We were pretty spread and forced them into things they were uncomfortable with.”
UH (14-5, 3-2 AAC) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
All-America forward Katie Lou Samuelson, a national player of the year candidate, and Kia Nurse each scored 17 points for UConn.
Mismatch from start
The Huskies (15-0, 5-0 AAC) jumped out to a 14-2 lead and led 23-4 after the first quarter, as the Cougars made just two field goals and committed nine turnovers. The second half wasn’t any better, as the Cougars missed seven straight shots to begin the third quarter. UConn pushed the lead to 50 points with a 20-2 run in the fourth quarter.
Jasmyne Harris led the Cougars with 15 points.
“We just couldn’t get into a rhythm,” Hughey said.
The announced crowd of 2,150 was the largest for a UH women’s basketball game since 3,283 against TCU in 2004 at Hofheinz Pavilion.