HUSKIES WIN
Napheesa Collier has 30 points, 14 rebounds as UConn routs Temple.
STORRS - Just days ago, coach Geno Auriemma said UConn’s stats from its win over ECU were “fairytale land” numbers.
If Saturday’s game against Temple was any indication, the Huskies are still living in the land of make believe.
No. 5 UConn beat Temple 109-74 in its second straight triple-digit performance, showcasing an improved, pass-heavy offense and shrugging off any signs of a shooting slump.
“I think a lot of the shots that we were taking a couple of weeks ago that weren’t going in, even though they weren’t that much different, are going in now. So the points pile up,” Auriemma said. “I think things are moving a little bit smoother, although the first quarter wasn’t as smooth as I would like it to be.
“We’re getting good shots. The ball’s moving well. People are being unselfish, like they usually are, and we made more threes today than we probably did the month of January. It felt like it anyway.”
Much like the last time UConn and Temple met, Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield led the way for the Huskies.
Collier recorded her 12th doubledouble of the season, tying her season high in scoring with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Dangerfield ended the day with 22 points and nine assists, going 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Samuelson also had success with threes on Saturday, knocking down five and scoring 19 points. Megan Walker finished with 12 points, and Christyn Williams had nine.
The Huskies’ improved offense is
partially due to Auriemma stressing how important it is to make the extra pass instead of taking highly contested shots or settling for the first shot. The result of that has been back-to-back games with over 30 assists. On Saturday, they had 31.
The increased ball movement also allowed for more threes, which the Huskies have struggled to make recently.
Against Temple, their problems behind the arc seemed to dissipate as they knocked in 15. UConn shot 63 percent from the floor and from beyond the arc.
“I think we just want to make sure we’re moving the ball from each side of the floor, and we’re doing a great job of hitting the open person,” Dangerfield said. “That’s something that we stress here.”
While UConn put emphasis on sharing the ball and being unselfish against Temple, there was still plenty of room for individual success. It was one of the first games, aside from last week’s game against ECU, where all three of UConn’s leaders played big.
Samuelson, Collier and Dangerfield have all gone through struggles at different points in the season, but on Saturday they reminded fans of just how dominant they can be when they’re all on.
Dangerfield and Samuelson both tied their season highs in 3-pointers made, and Collier tied her season high in points.
Samuelson also surpassed both Rebecca Lobo and Kara Wolters on UConn’s all-time scoring list. She is now eighth with 2,142 points.
“When you have our three — Lou, Phee and Crystal — and they’re playing at a real high level, that’s why we score a lot of points,” Auriemma said. “Because all three of them can put a lot of points on the board, and right now that’s kind of [where we are.]”
Dangerfield avoids injury
In the fourth quarter, Dangerfield was slow to get up after a play and limped to the bench shortly after. After the game, Dangerfield said she slightly twisted her ankle, but she’s completely fine and will play against South Carolina on Monday.
“I’m alright,” Dangerfield said. “It probably looked worse than it felt. I’ll be OK.”
Kelli Stacy can be reached at kstacy@courant.com.