Huskies are ready to open the season against Northeastern
STORRS — It’s official. The UConn women’s basketball season tips off Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Huskies host Northeastern in Storrs.
While UConn made quick work of its opponent in its tuneup exhibition on Sunday against Division II Kutztown, Thursday’s season opener will be a good test to see how the team’s newcomers and new offense look under the bright lights and in front of a packed Gampel Pavilion crowd when it counts.
More importantly, however, Thursday’s game will be the team’s last chance to fix any bugs before the competition gets stiff when No. 3 Texas comes to town next Monday.
And just like Sunday, the Huskies will have just nine available players to open the season.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Wednesday that sophomore Caroline Ducharme will not play in Thursday’s season opener. The guard has been dealing with neck stiffness, which forced her to sit out of Sunday’s game. Ducharme didn’t participate in the period of practice open to the media’s viewing Wednesday.
“I mean, tomorrow she’s not playing but (she’s) better, getting better every day,” Auriemma said.
While Kutztown will likely be the team’s least competitive opponent all year, the game showed Auriemma that his roster can still play up to the program’s expectations despite the lack of depth in the backcourt, even without Ducharme.
“Now it’s a lot of new players and new roles and doing different things and it takes time,” he said. “But each day that goes by, you find out a little bit more about the team you have and you’re just more focused on what do we have, not what we don’t have and
NORTHEASTERN at No. 6 UCONN
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Gampel Pavilion
What: UConn season opener
Records: UConn (0-0, Big East), Northeastern (1-0, Colonial Athletic Association)
SNY
UConn Sports Network, 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WICC-Brideport (600 AM), WINE-Danbury (940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM),
TV: Radio: KEEP AN EYE ON
Ducharme out: UConn’s injury woes have continued. Caroline Ducharme sat out Sunday’s exhibition due to neck stiffness and coach Geno Auriemma confirmed Wednesday the sophomore would not play against Northeastern. Ducharme left the bench during the third quarter and did not return for the rest of the game. Auriemma said she’s getting “closer and closer” to returning but, as of Sunday, said she’s also still having good and bad days. The Huskies ran past Kutztown without Ducharme easily and Thursday’s meeting with Northeastern will likely be similar. Therefore, Ducharme gets some much-needed rest before UConn hosts No. 3 Texas next Monday.
“She’s just trying to get her stiff neck loosened up and we’re having a hard time with that,” Auriemma said Sunday. “And it comes and goes. Some days it’s really good, some days not so good. So, we’re trying to get it consistently good. She wants to play so bad to a fault. She’ll go out there and go ‘I’m fine.’ And you know that she’s probably not. … It’s going to be something that maybe she’ll have to do deal with all year long, I don’t know.”
Can Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász carry exhibition energy into season opener?
The Huskies’ frontcourt dominated the Golden Bears on Sunday. While freshman Ayanna Patterson showed the world just how good she is already (10 points, 10 rebounds in her collegiate debut), both Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász showed they’ve improved from last season.
Edwards contributed 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Juhász, in her first game since injuring her wrist in last year’s Elite Eight, finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Both looked more confident and aggressive — just like their postseason selves only in an exhibition. The question will be, however, can they bring that level to every game? With Patterson and redshirt junior Aubrey Griffin available off the bench, along with Amari DeBerry, the Huskies do have depth ready too.
But this is Juhász’s final year to impress professional scouts, so the opportunity is all hers.
“I thought she was great,” Auriemma said. “… She just plays with a ton of energy, ton of enthusiasm. I don’t think we saw the real Dorka last year.”
Who are the other Huskies? What to know about Northeastern:
Thursday will be a welcome home celebration for Northeastern’s Asha Parker (of Milford) and Amyrah Sapenter (of Newtown).
Parker played at Hamden Hall for three years before transferring to Northfield Mount Hermon for her senior season. She was a 2021 McDonald’s All-American nominee before averaging 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per game last season as a freshman at NU. She made her first career start in Monday’s season opener.
Sapenter had a standout high school career at Newtown High. She was a member of the 2020 New Haven Register All-State team, a three-time All-SWC selection, a two-time SWC All-Tournament team selection and a two-time SWC Colonial captain. She led Newtown to the 2019 SWC Championship and averaged 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a senior in 2020. Sapenter walked onto the Huskies team ahead of the 2020-21 season. Last year, as a sophomore, she appeared in 16 games.
The Huskies finished last season with a 14-18 overall record. Northeastern opened the 2022-23 season on Monday with a 66-65 win over Boston University. UConn is 11-3 all-time against Northeastern. The last time these two Husky programs met was on Nov. 14, 2009 (UConn won 105-35). Northeastern’s last win over UConn was on Dec. 13, 1986 (NU won 53-49).