Crunch-time spark
How Ducharme’s return will help UConn
STORRS — Caroline Ducharme missed her first six shots of the game, but the UConn women’s basketball team was down eight early in the fourth quarter and needed the offensive boost.
So when Lou Lopez Sénéchal saw Ducharme open in the corner, she passed her the ball.
In one swift motion, Ducharme collected the pass, jumped up and made the 3-point shot. Her first bucket in 46 days.
The Gampel Pavilion crowd roared in response. Ducharme was back.
“It’s great. We were waiting for that, definitely,” Lopez Sénéchal said. “Seeing her on the court, it’s almost like she never left. … It’s just really good to have her back.”
After sitting out 13 games due to a concussion, Ducharme made her return to the court Wednesday night. The sophomore scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning free throws, to secure UConn’s 62-60 win over Creighton.
Her return comes at the perfect time for the No. 6 Huskies who have just four games remaining in the regular season before March’s Big East and NCAA Tournaments.
“For her to come out and do that today, she’s just one tough kid.” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.
Ducharme, the No. 5-ranked recruit in the Class of 2021, was among UConn’s biggest highlights from last season.
The Milton, Mass. native surpassed all expectations and led the Huskies in scoring in Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd’s absence. She played fearlessly in every game, driving through traffic to make layups and using her 6foot-2 frame to maneuver her way in front of bigger post players to grab rebounds and make clutch blocks.
Auriemma trusted her the most when the game was on the line. It was her last-second shot that saved UConn’s then-conference streak at DePaul on Jan. 26.
However, Ducharme’s break