The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
UConn dials up the intensity
Most complete performance of season in an easy victory over Virginia
HARTFORD — Maybe the UConn women’s basketball team has things figured out after all.
The fourth ranked Huskies turned in their most complete performance of the season Tuesday, thrashing Virginia 8344 at the XL Center.
This one was never in doubt. The Huskies used a 281 run in the first half to put the Cavaliers away early. The lead was 4217 at halftime, and it only grew from there.
The Huskies’ offense was both balanced and effective, with four players hitting double figures in scoring. Forward Megan Walker had a teamhigh 19 points and nine rebounds and guard Christyn Williams added 17 points.
It took only a few minutes for UConn (40) to hit its stride. The Huskies closed the first quarter on a 211 run, turning a 95 deficit into a 2610 lead. Virginia failed to hit a field goal during the final 6 minutes and 37 seconds of that stretch.
The Huskies came in off doubledigit wins over California, Vanderbilt and Temple, but none of those performances compared to the one they authored against Virginia. Their offense, which looked discombobulated during the season’s opening week, flowed with precision. They moved the ball
well, recording 21 assists on 30 field goals.
Kyla Irwin added a careerhigh 13 points off the bench, along with six rebounds and five assists.
Anna Makurat contributed 10 points, including a 3pointer that snapped an 0for11 skid from beyond the arc to begin her college career.
The Huskies smothered Virginia’s offense, holding the Cavaliers to 24 percent shooting. The Huskies led
by as many as 41.
UConn will return to the road Sunday (3 p.m.) to take on Ohio State. Notable: Gov. Ned Lamont was in attendance, seated behind the UConn bench. … Canadian wing Aaliyah Edwards signed
her national letter of intent to UConn on Tuesday. Edwards, a 6foot2 wing from Canada, is the No. 26 prospect in the class of 2020, according to ESPN.