Huskies roll past St. John’s

UConn wins first game back in No. 1 spot

A little rest did UConn a world of good.

The top-ranked Huskies returned from a four-day break from games feeling refreshed and recharged, and it showed in a 77-32 beatdown of St. John’s Wednesday at Carnesecca Arena.

“We showed up tonight with fresh legs, fresh minds, and you could see it,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “When you go every other day with a game, you mentally get more tired than you do physically, and then the physical stuff follows. Being able to get out of that and into a regular mode, that mentally put us in a really good place.”

Freshman Paige Bueckers was back at it with 20 points and nine assists — and she got some help, too. Christyn Williams followed up her 19-point performance against Georgetown with a game-high 21 points, while Olivia Nelson-Ododa contributed 17 points and seven rebounds. The trio was remarkably efficient, shooting 24 of 32 from the floor, including 6 of 8 on 3s.

Aaliyah Edwards added 10 points off the bench.

“This was one of Christyn’s best games,” Auriemma said. “Certainly her best game this year because it was a complete game.”

Auriemma commended the job Williams did defensively on sophomore Leilani Correa, who scored just two points on 1 of 10 shooting two weeks after pouring in 33 in a loss to the Huskies in Storrs.

The Huskies held St. John’s (6-12) to 29% shooting and forced 21 turnovers, which they converted into 21 points.

“We did a great job defensively the entire game,” Williams said. “We were very aggressive, and we got a lot of steals, which made it

easier for us to get out in transition. That’s something we’ve gotten away from, and we’re trying to get it back.”

Slow starts had been an issue lately, but the Huskies (17-1) had no such problems this time, jumping out to an 18-6 lead after one quarter. And it only got worse from there for St. John’s. Much, much worse.

Consider this: St. John’s made only one more shot (7 of 26) than UConn missed in the first half. The Huskies shot a blistering 76% percent from the floor, hitting 19 of 25 attempts, and went into the break up 31 thanks to a 16-2 run.

“I think we came out

aggressive,” Nelson-Ododa said. “Our mentality was just kind of composed, yet we were still getting into them. I think that was pretty evident tonight, especially on the defensive end. Coming into this game, that was a … key emphasis for us.”

The Huskies will be back on the road Saturday (3 p.m.) against Xavier.

Note: Wednesday was UConn’s 1,200th in program history . ... Auriemma was named one of 15 candidates for Naismith Coach of the Year.

Kathy Willens / Associated Press St. John’s guard Kadaja Bailey (30) fouls UConn guard Paige Bueckers during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game in New York.

Kathy Willens / Associated Press UConn’s Paige Bueckers grabs the ball as St. John’s guard Unique Drake looks on during the first quarter of Wednesday’s game in New York.