Huskies grow up after big road win
Geno Auriemma was curious to see how his UConn Huskies would respond when nothing was going their way.
He had to wait a while, maybe even longer than he would’ve liked, before an opportunity finally presented itself Thursday at No. 25 Tennessee.
The third-ranked Huskies didn’t shoot well, didn’t pass well, didn’t operate smoothly on offense and got beat on the glass, but managed to leave Rocky Top with a 67-61 victory.
It was a game Auriemma called “weirdly rewarding.”
“It’s easy to win when everything’s going right,” Auriemma said. “It’s easy to win when it feels like you’re shooting into the ocean.”
That’s how it’s been for most of this season, and Saturday (2 p.m.) at Gampel Pavilion against Georgetown — one of four teams with one Big East win — should be no different.
That said, they say they feel like a different team, a more mature team, than they were last week — all because they learned how to win when they weren’t at their best.
“We’re all really disappointed our first couple nonconference games didn’t happen. That’s what UConn is known for, having a really tough nonconference (schedule) and playing good teams,” guard Evina Westbrook said. “We knew it was going to be
tough.”
Litmus test games against No. 1 Louisville, No. 9 Baylor and No. 19 Mississippi State were canceled early this season because of COVID-related issues, leaving UConn (9-0) with a weaker slate than most seasons. With that in mind, Auriemma recently jumped at the opportunity to add No. 15 Arkansas to the schedule on Jan. 28. The Huskies will also host No. 4 South Carolina on Feb. 8, assuming nothing else changes.
“At this point in time,” Auriemma said, “it really doesn’t matter who you play, where you play, when you play. It doesn’t matter. You just need the games, and you need to play people that are pretty good if you can.”
Against Tennessee, their second ranked opponent this season and first out of conference, the Huskies saw their most experienced players — primarily juniors Christyn Williams and Westbrook — do most of the heavy lifting before freshman Paige Bueckers, sprained ankle and all, sealed things late with a 3-pointer.
Williams scored a gamehigh 20 points and Westbrook, the former Lady Vol, contributed 15, including back-to-back 3-pointers during a 9-0 fourth-quarter run.
And they did so while keeping their composure, especially Westbrook, who was subject to taunts and ridicule by the home crowd.
“I didn’t want to come here and prove people wrong. I wanted to prove people who believed in me from the start right,” she said. “I think that’s what we did by getting this ‘W’ tonight.”
Westbrook had good reason to stay even-keeled. Auriemma’s entrusted her, along with Williams and junior Olivia Nelson-Ododa, to set the right example for the Huskies’ young roster, which will soon boast seven freshmen.
“When other teams are going on a run, we have to stay composed,” Westbrook said. “Even though we’re on the same team as the younger guys, they’re watching us. They’re going to watch how we react to certain things and feed off our energy.
“When we’re up, they’re going to be right behind. When we’re low, it’s the same thing. … We’ve been in their position, too.”
NOTES: UConn did not provide an official update Friday regarding Bueckers’ sprained ankle. … The Big East announced UConn’s Feb. 12 game at Georgetown has been changed from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will now air on CBSSN instead of SNY. Additionally, Feb. 27 at Butler is now a 4:30 p.m. tip instead of 7 p.m.