UConn rolls past Southern

HARTFORD — One game into their regular-season schedule, the UConn women took a quick detour on Thursday to play an exhibition against instate foe Southern Connecticut State.

While the last few weeks of practices have given Geno Auriemma a pretty firm idea about where his team currently stands, this was another opportunity for him to evaluate the roster before a busy week.

Unsurprisingly, the result was never in doubt. The secondranked Huskies overwhelmed their Division-II opponent 99-45 at the XL Center.

More than anything, this night was about the Huskies finding out what they might have in a few bench players — names like Olivia Nelson-Ododa, a highly touted yet raw freshman forward.

Nelson-Ododa figures to play a prominent role for the Huskies if, of course, she can overcome the steep learning curve that forwards face. And, for really the first time in this young season, Nelson-Ododa — the No. 5 player in the Class of 2018 — gave the Huskies a reason to be optimistic. She was active in her most extended work to date, collecting 16 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.

“It’s funny, the first time I saw Olivia play for real, like really play,” Auriemma said, “she was on the USA Basketball team in Spain. She competed harder than anybody on that team. She was tough and she ran the floor and she was aggressive in the lane. … And then she comes

here, today was the first sign I’ve seen of it. I’ve been surprised that it hasn’t been there. Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but that was the most encouraging thing tonight, that she was willing to get in there and mix it up a little bit.”

“I feel pretty good right now, but, of course, there’s still so much more to go,”

added Nelson-Ododa, noting that adjusting to the physicality of the college game has been her biggest challenge. “Like I said before the preseason, people are pushing me every single day.”

Most of the night confirmed what the Huskies already knew: Katie Lou Samuelson is really, really good. The All-American poured in 26 points in 22 minutes, including 20 of the team’s first 39. And then there was Napheesa Collier, who came close to notching a triple-double — 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists — over 24 minutes.

Auriemma, who said following his team’s 85-53 victory over Ohio State on Sunday that the Huskies’ bench was “getting better,” also saw positives from junior guard Molly Bent. The junior picked up three steals and four rebounds.

The rest of the night provided few surprises. The Huskies dominated the action from the start, jumping out to leads of 28-15 after one quarter and 32-8 at halftime. They out-muscled the Owls (3-0) in the paint and out-finessed them in the open court, shooting 54 percent.

UConn will return to regular-season play on Saturday for a non-conference showdown against Vanderbilt at Mohegan Sun Arena (6 p.m.).

Jessica Hill / Associated Press Southern Connecticut State’s Imani Wheeler, left, pressures UConn’s Katie Lou Samuelson, right, on Thursday night in Hartford.