The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UConn women dunk California; Samuelson injured
UConn wins home opener for 27th season in a row
STORRS —The biggest news coming out of Gampel Pavilion on Friday night wasn’t that the UConn women’s basketball team won its home opener for the 27th season in a row. Instead is was that All-American Katie Lou Samuelson left the Huskies’ 82-47 win over No. 20 California with a foot injury.
With 4:02 left in the first half, Samuelson caught a pass and as she attempted to go up for a layup, she collided with Cal’s Mikayla Cowling. Samuelson fell awkwardly to the floor and grabbed for her lower leg and was taken immediately to the UConn locker room. She returned for warmups before the start of the third quarter but would not return. Samuelson had 12 points before leaving the game, reaching double figures in scoring for the 59th time in 76 career games.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said that Samuelson has a mid-foot sprain and will undergo further examination on Saturday. Samuelson was wearing a walking boot on her left foot after the game. Her status for Sunday’s game against No. 15 Maryland is yet to be determined.
“I wanted to tell her to get off because knowing her, she would push through it until it gets worse so I want to make sure she is good and after that, kind of the next guy up,” UConn senior forward Gabby Williams said.
“She wasn’t too down (after the game) which I was happy about because she takes that stuff really personally and it really does affect her. She showed that she is still here for us.”
UConn was leading 34-16 when Samuelson left. By halftime, the lead was 21 points and in the third quarter the Huskies outscored the Bears 22-3.
Much of the key to slowing Cal down was making life difficult for sophomore post player Kristine Anigwe.
Anigwe finished with a team-high 14 points for the Bears, but eight of those came in the fourth quarter when the game’s outcome had long since been decided.
“Everything seems to go through her and I thought we had a pretty good game plan of how we were going to try to defend her and what we were going to try to make her do to get her some shots,” Auriemma said. “The whole first half we set a tone for how we are going to play her, not an easy player to guard, she is pretty athletic and a pretty big kid but she was playing, maybe for the first time in her college career, she was playing against a better athlete than her.”
Auriemma was referring to Williams, who drew the assignment despite giving up five inches to Anigwe. UConn would double team Anigwe when she caught the ball in the post and usually 6-foot guard Kia Nurse was the player
“I wanted to tell her (Katie Lou Samuelson) to get off because knowing her, she would push through it until it gets worse so I want to make sure she is good and after that, kind of the next guy up.”
UConn senior forward Gabby Williams
lending a helping hand.
“We are able to play with people for a long time and figure out their tendencies. It is easier for us to kind of get in there and execute a game plan,” Nurse said. “It was something we talked about going into it.”
Crystal Dangerfield, Nurse and Napheesa Collier had 14 points each for UConn (2-0). Williams added 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Azura Stevens came off the bench to add 11 points.
UConn hasn’t lost a home opener since falling to Iowa 58-41 on Nov. 29, 1990.
Before the game, a banner honoring UConn legend Rebecca Lobo’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame was unveiled next to Geno Auriemma’s. In her brief remarks, she was quick to thank her coaches, teammates and the UConn fans before predicting that more Hall of Fame banners would be soon joining hers and Auriemma’s.