The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Huskies’ offense has ‘gotten into a groove’ — here’s why
For months now, UConn coach Geno Auriemma has been trying to find a pace that best fits his team’s strengths.
The Huskies aren’t a run-andgun team, but they’re not suited to just walk the ball up the floor and methodically pick apart opponents in the halfcourt, either. They’re somewhere in between, which if you’ve caught any of the last few games, can work just fine.
“We sometimes get ourselves in trouble because we go way too fast and we turn the ball over, but the last couple games we’ve gotten into a groove,” junior Christyn Williams said following Saturday’s 83-32 rout of Xavier. “We’re not going too fast, not going too slow, and it’s actually helped us in transition.”
With March just around the corner, the Huskies’ offense is beginning to hit its stride. They were efficient against the Musketeers, with 26 assists on 32 field goals. The 81% assist rate was a season-best, and topped the 78% mark from the previous game against St. John’s.
But more importantly, they were balanced, too. It wasn’t just the Paige Bueckers Show for a change. The freshman was still involved, as evidenced by her seven assists, but she didn’t have to do it all herself. Four players scored in double figures, led by Williams’ 22 points.
“It’s imperative that everybody get involved in the offensive flow of our game, and for the longest time it was just Paige,” Auriemma
said. “That’s not what she wants. Her passing the ball, that’s what she wants to do.”
Let’s take a closer look at what’s working so well for UConn offensively.
WILLIAMS SAYS HER CONFIDENCE IS BACK
Williams has turned the corner from her recent offensive woes and is back in a good place, both physically and mentally. Since going scoreless against Seton Hall on Feb. 10, she is averaging 20.6 points on 54.3% (25 of 46) shooting over her last three games.
“I’m just in a good space mentally,” Williams said after Saturday’s win. “I’ve gotten my confidence back. (My slump) was just a bump in the road.”
Though it may be a bit simplistic to say, the difference in Williams’ play really does seem to be about confidence. Auriemma feels her offense is flowing more naturally now that she’s locked in on other areas of her game.
“I think the defensive rhythm that she’s in, the defensive assignments that she’s had and how hard she’s worked on that end of the floor, has carried over to the offensive end,” Auriemma said. “I’m not surprised that as the defensive end has really, really picked up that the offensive end has followed.”
It helps, too, that Williams’ ankle is feeling better. She’s back to attacking the rim and being more aggressive. Her 3-point shooting, which has been an issue, is improving, as well. She’s 8 of 18 (44.4%) from beyond the arc in the last three games.
The Huskies could certainly use a steady scorer to complement Bueckers, especially now that redshirt junior Evina Westbrook has cooled off. And who better to fill that role than Williams?
“You keep playing defense and you keep working at it and you keep going out there and bring the same level of concentration, the same energy level, it tends to work out for you,” Auriemma
said. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect every night. People are human beings, they have ups and downs, and they have peaks and valleys. Sometimes these things last a week, two weeks, a month. Sometimes they last two days. So you’re not going to get away from that, but you just want to try to stay as consistent as possible in your approach.”
MUHL HAS SOLIDIFIED HERSELF AS A STARTER
Nika Muhl wasn’t playing much earlier this season due to injuries, and because of that, it took her a while to get comfortable.
But now that she’s established herself as a starter, the Huskies are seeing what she’s capable of on both ends of the floor.
Muhl is a gifted passer. The freshman is averaging 4.7 assists as a starter, and her 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks in the 88th percentile nationally.
On top of that, Muhl has built a strong chemistry with Bueckers. By settling in, she’s taken some pressure off Bueckers to run the offense and allowed her to play off-ball more.
“She’s infectious when she plays and she makes us a little more uptempo,” Auriemma said. “The intensity level goes up when she’s out
there.”
ONO CAN DISH IT
Auriemma made a concerted effort Saturday to get Olivia Nelson-Ododa more involved offensively. By working the ball in and out of the post, the Huskies kept Xavier’s defense moving and guessing.
“The more she handles the ball and the more that people move around her,” Auriemma said, “the more assists she is going to get.”
That’s easier said than done, of course. But it’s no coincidence that Nelson-Ododa’s assists are up in February. The 6-foot-5 junior had six helpers against Xavier, one off her career high, set … five games ago.
Also of note, the Huskies scored 56 points in the paint, matching their third-most in a game this season. Auriemma liked the spacing of a Nelson-Ododa-Aaliyah Edwards frontcourt.
“It’s obviously a huge benefit to have two post players that can both play together, complement each other, and spell each other,” Auriemma said. “They have different skill sets. It’s something that we obviously didn’t have last year, and you could see the difference that it’s made.”
LOS ANGELES — Winning at Riviera was always a dream for Max Homa since he first attended the PGA Tour event as a toddler. He never could have scripted a finish like Sunday at the Genesis Invitational.
Homa missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for the win. On the first playoff hole, he appeared to have no chance when his tee shot settled inches from a tree. He somehow escaped to extend the playoff, and won it on the next hole when hard-luck Tony Finau failed to save par from a bunker on the par-3 14th.
As much of a heartbreak as it was for Finau — his 10th runner-up finish worldwide since his lone victory in the Puerto Rico Open five years ago — the emotion was too much for Homa.
He grew up 30 miles away in Valencia. He grew up idolizing Tiger Woods, the tournament host who presented him the trophy. He nearly threw it away with a 3-foot putt. And he walked off with his second PGA Tour victory.
“I’ve been watching this tournament my whole life,” Homa said, choking back emotions before he said, “Wow. I didn’t think it would be like this. … The city of Champions — Dodgers, Lakers, me now. It’s a weird feeling
Homa not only closed with a 5-under 66, he played the final 26 holes without a bogey.
This looked to be a storybook finish for Homa when Sam Burns, who had led from the opening round, ran into a string of bogeys on the back nine.
It came down to Homa and Finau, who saved par on the 18th for a 64, the low round of the weekend. Homa made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th to tie for the lead, and he stuffed his approach on the 18th for what looked to be a sure birdie.
And then he missed. “You’re not supposed to miss a 3-footer in front of Tiger Woods,” Homa said. “I saw him yesterday and was too scared to talk to him. But he’s forced to talk to me now.”
Worse yet was his tee shot on the 10th. Homa managed to hood a wedge and scoot it up the slope to the edge of the green, and with a front left pin — typically the Saturday position, changed this year because of the wind — it left him 12 feet away. He narrowly missed. Finau, in great position, chipped to 7 feet and with his shadow over the cup, hit it too weakly.