The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Huskies continue to trend upward
UConn coach Geno Auriemma wants his team to start rounding into form now, not later, in order to be running on all cylinders come next month’s NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies aren’t a finished product. They still have some issues to fix. But they appear to be trending up.
The nation’s top-ranked team took another step forward Saturday in Cincinnati by crushing lowly Xavier, 83-32.
“This is a great spot that we’re in,” guard Christyn Williams said. “Earlier in the season, we had bumps in the road due to COVID and everything. It messed with us mentally, but I feel like now that we’ve gotten on a roll … we’re getting our flow. I feel like that’s just helping everybody play their role and constantly get better.”
The Huskies (18-1, 15-0) have now won eight straight and have clinched at least a share of the Big East championship.
Williams had her second straight 20-point game, finishing with 22 points on 9 of 16 shooting. The junior is averaging 21 over her last three since going scoreless against Seton Hall on Feb. 10.
“She’s playing at a real high level right now at the perfect time,” Auriemma said.
The same can be said of Williams’ classmate Olivia NelsonOdoda, who flirted with a tripledouble before finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Freshman Aaliyah Edwards added 16 points and 11 boards for her first career doubledouble.
“We were trying to make sure that we got her involved and handling the ball more,” Auriemma said of the 6-foot-5 Nelson-Ododa. “The more she handles the ball and the more that people move around her, the more assists she is going to get.
“Today was the perfect kind of game of Liv where she’s involved in a lot of different aspects, not just scoring in the post or taking a jump shot. She was making it easy for others to get shots.”
She was also taking some of the burden off Paige Bueckers. The sensational freshman didn’t score much but she didn’t need to.
Bueckers rolled her right ankle — the same one she sprained Jan. 21 against Tennessee — on a pass to Williams just 4:01 into the game. She was promptly taken out, but returned shortly after and buried a 3. She’d go on to post 11 points — her third-lowest total of the season — and seven assists. She was 4 of 11 from the floor, including 1 of 5 from 3.
“She probably missed more shots than she has because she’s been on like a superhuman streak since the season started,” Auriemma said of Bueckers, who came into the game averaging a team-high 21.1 points and leading the country in 3-point shooting at 55.8%. “Maybe it’s unrealistic to think it’s going to be like that. Some days, the ball just doesn’t go in.”
As for Bueckers’ ankle, Auriemma indicated that she is fine.
“If it was a problem obviously she wouldn’t have been able to play,” Auriemma said. “But it was nothing.”
The Huskies left no doubt against the Musketeers, jumping out to a 14-2 lead and quickly blowing the game open. Xavier missed nine of its first 10 shots and was held scoreless for 5:30. UConn outscored them 26-6 in the first quarter.
It didn’t get any better for the Musketeers (4-7) in the second as their deficit reached 29. UConn’s defense kept its form and prevented the Musketeers from doing much of anything. Xavier managed only 13 points in the half on 20% shooting.
Xavier’s 32 points matched the second-fewest scored against UConn this season. The Musketeers were held to 24% shooting and missed all 16 3-pointers they attempted.
“I think we got to the point where we weren’t really focusing on the score and we were just kind of having fun out there as a team,” Edwards said. “Once we got steals on defense … we were just playing together.”
The Huskies will now have a few days off before visiting Creighton on Thursday.
WHEN WILL MAKURAT RETURN?
Sophomore Anna Makurat has been out since Jan. 21 with a lower leg injury, and Auriemma said her status hasn’t changed. At this point, he said it’d be “great” if they could get her back for the Big East Tournament, which begins March 5.
“It’s just the same as it’s been,” he said. “She’s getting a chance to get out there and get some shots up, and she’s doing a great job in the weight room and doing her rehab and staying in shape.”