Collier has elevated her game
It started just 52 seconds into the game Monday night, Napheesa Collier hitting a foul line jump shot. Just exactly the one weapon that Oregon coach Kelly Graves decided his team couldn't defend against Collier and the UConn women's basketball team.
And it continued into the fourth quarter. Collier 3-pointer. Collier jumper. Collier jumper.
She made them look easy. The UConn sophomore who was named a first team Associated Press All-American earlier in the day.
Before she was through, Collier, a 6-foot-1 sophomore forward from O'Fallon, Missouri, had 28 points, 12 rebounds against the taller Ducks, four blocked shots, two assists and two steals. Among her points was the 1,000th of her career.
Collier was named Most Outstanding Player of the Bridgeport Regional final following UConn's 90-52 win, which sent UConn (36-0) packing for its
10th straight Final Four. The Huskies will play Mississippi State at 10 p.m. Friday in Dallas in the second game of a semifinal doubleheader, following the matchup between South Carolina and Stanford.
“Having watched Pheesa play all year long, I can't describe what she does,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She's effortless in what she does. Seriously, it's like a self-driving car. It's just effortless. She just goes. I can't even explain it.
“She'll take some shots, I'll just shake my head, and there's no way to explain what she does. It's unbelievable.”
Collier is the 45th member of UConn's 1,000-point club and is on track to become the program's highest scoring sophomore of all-time — she has 743 points this season, trailing only the sophomore totals of graduates Breanna Stewart (777) and Maya Moore (754). (Sophomore teammate Katie Lou Samuelson has 732).
The American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year along with Samuelson and a finalist for several national player of the year awards, Collier is averaging 20.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Her scoring average is so far the fourth-highest in UConn history and her field goal percentage (.686) is second in the country.
Auriemma, in a teleconference before headed to Dallas, was asked to speak to Collier's seemingly laid-back personality.
“Well, in some ways she's very introverted, like she comes across in the press conferences, being interviewed,” Auriemma said. “But away from all that, she's kind of a kid. She doesn't take herself or things too seriously. She doesn't really stress about much. She doesn't really hold onto things. If she makes a mistake, she doesn't wallow in it. She just moves on to the next thing.
“She has tremendous confidence in herself. She's a little more mature in her years as a player. As a person, she's exactly her age. Maybe that helps her a lot.”
Another record
UConn set another NCAA record Monday night against Oregon. The Huskies broke their own single-season record with 852 assists, racking up 21 assists on 36 fields goals against the Ducks.
The Huskies formerly set the record of 850 over 40 games during the 2013-14 season.
“It's as good as any we've had,” said Auriemma of his team's passing earlier in the tournament when the Huskies registered 30 assists on 33 baskets in a 9464 second-round victory over Syracuse. “They're really unselfish. They play really well together and enjoy being on the floor together. That's half the battle. They look for each other.” v.fulkerson@theday.com