Huskies sharp, cruise in exhibition win
HARTFORD — Despite only having nine available players to unofficially open the season, the No. 6 UConn women’s basketball team defeated Division II Kutztown 115-42 Sunday afternoon at the XL Center in an exhibition game.
The Huskies, who have lost both Paige Bueckers and Ice Brady to season-ending injuries, debuted their 2022-23 team in typical fash... ion, with a blowout win. With impressive debuts from newcomers and a veteran’s long-anticipated return, the Huskies gave a glimpse of what this season will look like.
UConn opens the regular season Thursday against Northeastern at 7 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion, but until then here are key takeaways from Sunday’s exhibition:
ANOTHER INJURY
Sophomore guard Caroline Ducharme was unavailable Sunday. UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Friday that Ducharme has been dealing with neck stiffness and at that point was a “maybe” for Sunday. With the Huskies’ season opener four days away, the day off will hopefully give Ducharme some time to rest before things get going and games become more competitive (UConn faces No. 3 Texas in eight days).
“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. We’re getting closer and closer. … It’s going to be something that maybe she’ll have to deal with all year long, I don’t know.”
WHO RAN POINT?
Nika Mühl started at point guard on Sunday. The sophomore looked in control for the majority of the game, calling out plays and directing the defense. Mühl’s court vision appeared to have improved from last season as she dished a clean pass to Dorka Juhász in between the legs of defenders to put UConn up by 24 in the second
quarter. At 6:59 in the third, she threw a no-look pass to Azzi Fudd (who led with 29 points and nine 3-pointers) on the wing for an open 3-pointer.
Her signature aggressiveness was also on display as her first points of the game came from a steal-andscore play. She finished with a game-high five steals on top of seven points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and two blocks. However, it was that same physical approach that caused her to pick up two early fouls in the first quarter.
“Nika plays the game a certain way and she sets everything on fire,” Auriemma said. “Like she’s that kind of player and the ball’s gonna be flying all over the place. I would think with the shooters and scorers that we have, a big assist night for her should be a common occurrence.”
HOW ABOUT THE NEWCOMERS?
Fairfield grad transfer Lou Lopez Senechal started in place of Ducharme for her UConn debut. She and Ayanna Patterson were two of UConn’s biggest highlights in Sunday’s game. At halftime, Lopez Senechal led all scorers with 18 points while Patterson had a team-high five rebounds.
Lopez Senechal was a force from behind the arc. She ended the first quarter with back-to-back corner 3’s to give UConn a 13-point lead. She finished with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 31 minutes.
“Lou spent four years at Fairfield and her job, her role on that team was score points and so that just carries over and that’s the same role she has with us and in a variety of ways, not just one way,” Auriemma said.
Meanwhile, Patterson was easily one of, if not the, most physical players all game. She wasn’t afraid to reach in and fight for loose
balls, forcing two held ball calls in the second quarter. During her first six minutes on the court, she scored four points and grabbed down five rebounds (three offensive).
The freshman was the first sub off the bench for UConn in the second half. Patterson finished her collegiate debut with 10 points, 10 rebounds, one block and one steal in 22 minutes.
“She just brings a different intensity every time she steps on the court,” Juhász said of Patterson. “She had a double-double, that just speaks for her effort just going after every single rebound. Even if she misses, we know she’s gonna get it because that’s just who she is. I think she looked really good out there and she’s gonna be a really really important piece of our team going on for the season.”
Inês Bettencourt came in for the final seven-plus minutes of the game and scored her first points as a Husky from the foul line.
GRIFFIN’S RETURN
In her first game back in nearly 600 days, redshirt junior Aubrey Griffin was met with a loud cheer from fans when she checked into the game as the first sub for UConn.
Griffin’s first touch was grabbing down an offensive rebound. At 1:04 in the third, she ran through an open key to score an uncontested layup — a good sign her conformability of playing live basketball has returned.
The redshirt finished with six points, eight rebounds and two steals in her first game since April 2021.