Samuelson finishes with double-double

lot, so much so that she ended the day with her first double-double of the season — but the 3s weren’t falling anymore.

And then, in true Diana Taurasi fashion, Samuelson hit her third 3-pointer of the game in response to a three from Seton Hall in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game at the XL Center. With that shot, Samuelson passed Taurasi for the second-most 3s in a career at UConn. And, for good measure, she drained her fourth of the day on the next play.

“I don’t think I would’ve ever thought that I would be in this situation, but to be just even mentioned among that and to break that record for No. 2 here, it’s pretty incredible and I’m just grateful to be a part of that,” Samuelson said. “I still look up to Diana and Maya [Moore]. I still look up [to them] and watch them and strive to be like them, so to be doing that while they’re still such role models for me is pretty cool.”

Samuelson finished the game with 26 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and a spot in UConn’s record book. She led the Huskies to a 99-61 win over Seton Hall to continue their undefeated season.

With 320 3-pointers in her career thus far, she’s just 78 away from tying Kaleena MosquedaLewis for the record at 398. In the process, she has shattered the American Athletic Conference’s 3-point record of 307, formerly held by Kitija Laksa.

“We’ve had some really good 3-point shooters, and I don’t know how many [Samuelson] is going to end up with, but she’s pretty confident taking them that’s for sure,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She doesn’t shy away from them, and she’s as good as we’ve had.”

While Samuelson had a historic day, the Huskies succeeded as a team as well. Five players scored in double digits, and UConn showed no signs of struggling despite being without an ailing Megan Walker.

Napheesa Collier was the second leading scorer on the team with 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Crystal Dangerfield had 16 points and 5 assists. Christyn Williams ended the day with 15 points — all in the first quarter — and Olivia Nelson-Ododa put up 13.

Overall, Auriemma was happy with Saturday’s performance because it showed UConn’s defense has continued to improve. Part of that came from Samuelson, who pulled down 16 rebounds in an attempt to make up for Walker’s