No. 1 UConn is led by its three shooting stars
Storrs — It's hardly a new phenomenon for the 11-time national champion UConn women's basketball program to produce mind-boggling numbers, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that this year's team is on pace to do something that has never been accomplished before.
In the previous nine seasons, Maryland's Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brigid Mulroy of Detroit Mercy are the only NCAA Division I women's basketball players to finish a season shooting better than 50 percent from 3-point range. Yet, heading into today's American Athletic Conference opener against Memphis at the XL Center (1:30 p.m., SNY), the top-ranked Huskies feature three starters shooting better than 50 percent behind the 3-point line.
Kia Nurse leads all Division I women's players by connecting on 55.8 percent of her 3-point attempts, barely ahead of Pittsburgh freshman and former Capital Prep star Pika Rodriguez. Crystal Dangerfield ranks sixth at 51 percent. Katie Lou Samuelson is making 53.2 percent of her 3-pointers, but she's missed four games so she is not among those listed national leaders.
"It gives the opportunity for teams to not be able to focus on one person and gives us more open shots because they have take their pick of MEMPHIS AT UCONN 1:30 p.m., XL Center (SNY)
who to guard," said Samuelson, who is UConn's active leader with 216 career 3-pointers. "It also spreads the floor for Napheesa (Collier), Gabby (Williams) and Z (Azurá Stevens) to all get in the low post so I think it just complements how we play overall."
UConn typically has one of the most efficient shooting teams in the nation, but even by the lofty standards set by previous squads, this year's group is putting on a shooting exhibition.
The 93 3-pointers made is tied for the most through 10 games in program history. The mark was set during the 2013-14 season as Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 34 treys while Nurse, Breanna Stewart, Saniya Chong and Moriah Jefferson all made at least 12 3-pointers.
"We have good shooters whether it is 3-point shooters or 15-foot shooters. We are a good shooting team so we are trying to spread the floor, because they are going to have to come out and guard our 3-point shooters, we are going to look for those opportunities to put the ball on the floor and create other offense," UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey said. "We don't just want to be a 3-point shooting team, we want that be a third of the shots that you take. We are not DePaul, they take a lot more 3s, we want a balanced attack and be able to shoot the 3, put the ball on the floor and take advantage of our post players."
UConn is right on target with 34 percent of its field-goal attempts coming from 3-point range.
Nurse is leading the way. After missing 8 of 10 from 3-point range in back-to-back games against UCLA and Michigan State late last month, the senior guard is making 65 percent of her shots from 3-point range over the last five games.
"A lot of 3s I have taken this season have been pretty wide open," Nurse said. "I've had time to shoot them and there is more of a confidence level, the mechanics that each time you are going to give them a pretty good chance of going in so I am trying to focus on shooting the same way each time I catch it."
Nurse and Samuelson rank third and eighth among active women's Division I players in career 3-point percentage, so seeing them put up gaudy perimeter numbers is not a stunning turn of events. However, Dangerfield needs two more 3-pointers to top her total in 31 games during her freshman season. She's made at least 75 percent of her 3s in three different games this season. Taking it a step further, there are six players inducted into the Huskies of Honor who spent part or all of their UConn careers playing point guard and through 10 games in their sophomore seasons, none had a better assist/turnover ratio than Dangerfield's mark of 2.48. Only the legendary Diana Taurasi had more 3-pointers and a higher 3-point percentage than Dangerfield.
Speaking of history, if the Huskies make at least 10 3-pointers against the Tigers it would be the first time the Huskies would have reached double digits in made 3s dating back to the 1994-95 season. Mississippi State beat Louisville and 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in the TaxSlayer Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla. Thompson and Jackson provided many of the highlights — and some lowlights. Thompson scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 1-yard plunge with 3:39 remaining that put the Bulldogs (9-4) ahead for good. Jackson had the Cardinals (8-5) on the move late, but safety Mark McLaurin intercepted his third pass of the game. After a failed fourth-down conversation, Jackson got a final chance in the waning seconds, but his final desperation pass was batted away in the end zone. Jackson completed 13 of 31 passes for 171 yards, with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He threw just six picks in the regular season. He ran 24 times for 158 yards and a touchdown, breaking the TaxSlayer Bowl record for most rushing yards by a quarterback. West Virginia's Pat White set the previous mark with 145 yards in 2007. Jackson also was sacked six times. He had the longest run of his career, a 75-yarder late in the second quarter, and a 13-yard TD scamper earlier in the game in which he split two defenders and made another look silly.
Late Friday Cotton Bowl No. 5 Ohio State 24, No. 8 USC 7