The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Huskies open season with rout of Ohio St.
STORRS — Their lineup was a hodgepodge of midmajor graduate transfers and untested freshmen. Surely, with a prolific scorer like Kelsey Mitchell no longer around to rely on, they would need time to gel.
UConn wasn’t willing to wait.
The second-ranked Huskies asserted their dominance early Sunday, taking apart Ohio State 85-53 before a crowd of 10,167 at Gampel Pavilion. And for the 23rd straight season, they find themselves at 1-0.
“I thought the first half we played really well at both ends of the floor considering all the questions I had going in,” head coach Geno Auriemma said. “The second half was not a lot of fun to watch, but the first half we did a really good job.”
Coming off their 11th straight appearance in the Final Four, the Huskies are in what Auriemma has called “unchartered territory.” With three starters from last year’s 36-1 team now in the WNBA, Auriemma’s relying on a few players — sophomore forward Megan Walker and freshman guard Christyn Williams — who were heralded in high school to take on significant roles.
“They have no choice this year, they have to step up. …,” guard Katie Lou Samuelson said. “They’re showing they’re very capable of doing so.”
Walker, the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school in 2017, was active in her first collegiate start, collecting 15 points — nine of those in the first quarter — over 27 minutes. Wil-
liams had a much quieter, inconsistent day, scoring just seven points.
“We definitely have to perform — earn it,” Walker added. “Whether that’s scoring or rebounding or making the open pass, just competing, I’m willing to do my job and prove that I deserve that [starting] spot.”
It was an encouraging development for a team that’s hoping to beef up its core: returning starters Samuelson, Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield.
“I don’t know how you really describe if she’s a big guard or a small version of a forward — I don’t know what she is,” Auriemma said of Walker, who averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a freshman. “But she’s got a lot of skills, obviously. She’s a very talented kid who obviously has to really add a lot to our team for us to be the kind of team we want to be. Today was a really good start, a really good start.”
Samuelson scored a teamhigh 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Dangerfield and Collier added 18 and 17 points, respectively, giving the Huskies four starters in double figures.
“This is the Megan that we kind of already knew,” Collier said. “We know she’s a great player and we know what she can do. It’s just a matter of her showing it to everyone that we play.”
Ohio State, which had split a pair of games against South Florida and Detroit to begin the season, lacked rhythm and consistency. The Buckeyes were out-ofsync offensively and outmuscled defensively, falling behind 30-12 after one quarter and 49-19 at halftime. UConn’s largest lead of the day was 34.
UConn extended its streak without back-to-back losses to 924 games.
“You just try to go into every game, you try to prepare the best you can for every game, but we take great pride in how we play and how we prepare,” Auriemma said. “We know that if we do what we practice and what we work on, we’re going to be OK. There’s tremendous confidence in that. We don’t take anybody lightly.
“Our scouting report is pretty serious. It’s not long but it’s pretty serious stuff.”
SOLID WORK
Auriemma complimented Kyla Irwin’s effort off the bench. Irwin, a junior forward, had five points and two rebounds in 12 minutes.
“She deserves more, and I hope she can get more,” Auriemma said. “The kid works her butt off.”
HELLO, AGAIN
Aliyah Boston, a 6-4 forward out of Worcester Academy (Mass.) who is ranked third in the Class of 2019, was in attendance on an unofficial visit. So far, Aubrey Griffin, a guard from Ossining High School (N.Y.), is the Huskies’ lone recruit for 2019.
WELCOME ABOARD
As part of Team Impact, a national nonprofit connecting children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college teams, Plainville native Daniela Ciriello, 6, signed a letter of intent with the Huskies. Ciriello was diagnosed with Cooley’s Anemia in 2017.
UP NEXT
In a scheduling quirk, the Huskies will play their second of two exhibition games on Thursday against Southern Connecticut State at the XL Center in Hartford (7 p.m.).