Walker reaches a major milestone

Star becomes 47th UConn women’s player to join 1,000-point club

STORRS — Megan Walker’s 21-point, 11-rebound performance in UConn’s 80-50 win over Cincinnati, in many ways, looked like a run-of-the-mill outing for the junior, who has come up with 10 20-point games this season to go along with seven double-doubles.

But Thursday night marked a special occasion for the junior. With her third basket of the game, Walker surpassed the 1,000-point mark, becoming the 47th Husky to do so. Her point total now sits at 1,015.

Walker said after the game that she had forgotten she was within reach of the milestone until SNY’s courtside reporter Maria Marino reminded her. Walker said that though she noticed when she was only one point away, she was too into the flow of the game to recognize the moment when it happened.

“It’s always an exciting moment to accomplish a goal like that,” Walker said, “and I’m proud to be a part of that club. We’ve just got to keep it going and see what else we get done.”

Walker was banged up by the game’s end, getting poked in the same eye twice and sitting for most of the third quarter as she iced it. But she felt good enough to return to the court by the start of the fourth.

“I had no intention of putting her back in, and she came over and sat on the bench and I looked at her and I said, ‘What’s up?’ And she shook her head, ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ I said, ‘You sure?’ And she said, ‘Yeah.’ I looked at her eye and thought she was going to say, ‘cut me Mickey,’ ” Geno Auriemma said, referencing the movie “Rocky.”

Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s continues to progress

Auriemma looks for signs of progress, no matter how big or small, each time his team steps on the court. The the coach considered Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s 12point, nine-rebound outing