Huskies survive against DePaul

UConn clinches No. 1 seed for next week’s Big East Tournament

CHICAGO — Dorka Juhász checked into the game with less than two minutes left.

UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma was hesitant to put the graduate forward back into the game after she sprained her right ankle in the first quarter, but the Huskies needed a stop — especially after DePaul had cut UConn’s once five-point lead to one with 17 seconds left.

DePaul star Aneesah Morrow picked off Juhász’ inbound pass and ran it down to the opposite end of the quarter. With the game and UConn’s place in the Big East standings on the line, Juhász sprinted after her.

Juhász pounced on the ball and both her and Morrow fell to the ground. Neither let go as the officials called it a jump ball and UConn earned the possession with nine seconds left.

“It’s what Dorka does,” Aaliyah Edwards said. “She’s always on the go and she doesn’t give up possessions.”

Point guard Nika Mühl drew a foul and sank both free throws to seal the No. 4-ranked Huskies 72-69 win over DePaul Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.

The win gave UConn (25-5, 17-2 Big East) the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s Big East Tournament and at least a share of the conference regular-season title. UConn can earn sole possession of the regular-season crown if it beats Xavier on Monday. If UConn losses against the Musketeers and Villanova beats Seton Hall on Monday, then the Wildcats will share the regular-season title with the Huskies.

UConn has won 10 straight conference regular-season titles (seven in the American Athletic Conference and the past three in the Big East) and 29 total.

“All I can say is it’s hard,” Auriemma said. “And you have to have that players that believe in themselves and believe in what we’re doing and pick each other up every chance they get . ... but anytime you win a Big East championship or any champi

onship it means a lot. That’s what you play the games for, right? So when you win one it feels really really good.”

Also, in a step in the right direction for the Huskies, star sophomore Azzi Fudd returned to pregame warmups on Saturday for the first time since Jan. 15 as part of her rehab. She remained unavailable for the game. Fudd has missed the last 13 games with a right knee injury.

Saturday’s game at DePaul was nearly a rematch of last year’s near-buzzerbeater thriller in Chicago. Except this time, there was more on the line.

The Blue Demons (19-8, 10-8) used an 8-2 run to take control of the lead heading into the fourth quarter of a game that featured nine ties and 15 lead changes.

Lou Lopez Sénéchal (who started the game 1 of 8) made a layup through traffic to tie the game with just 3:08 remaining. Then Edwards, playing with four fouls, jumped up to put in another layup and give UConn a two-point lead. But then Edwards fouled out a minute later.

Mühl extended UConn’s run to 9-0 with a corner 3-pointer but DePaul responded with a pair of free throws to keep the game within one possession.

DePaul, down one, called timeout with 17 seconds remaining. All UConn had to do was run down the clock and avoid a turnover.

But of course, it couldn’t be that simple.

Juhász didn’t allow the steal from Morrow (gamehigh 25 points) to derail her focus and made the crucial stop needed for the Huskies.

“We live on the edge but they find a way to make one big play after another after another after another and we might not play well for 37 minutes and then play great for in three minutes and win the game,” Auriemma said. “... You start to develop an identity and you go forward and you’re in these situations a lot in postseason

play and this can only help us.”

Edwards led UConn with 16 points. She was followed by Aubrey Griffin with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds and Juhász with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Mühl scored 12 and had eight assists to move her to No. 2 on UConn’s alltime single-season assist record list with 229. The junior point guard surpassed both Jennifer Rizzotti (1995-96) (formerly No. 3) and Crystal Dangerfield (2018-19) (formerly No. 2) during Saturday’s game.

UConn also got help from its bench. Caroline Ducharme scored seven points in 22 minutes, Ines Bettencourt scored 2 with one assist in four minutes and Ayanna Patterson came up big on defense with two points and four rebounds all in the fourth quarter.

Juhász sparked UConn’s offense Saturday afternoon.

After DePaul started the game on a 5-0 run, the graduate forward was the first Husky to score with a 3-pointer at 8:53. UConn went on a 7-0 run to pull ahead. Juhász was the first player in double figures as her second 3pointer at 6:08 got the Huskies ahead by as much as five points (the biggest lead from either team in the first half ). She scored 10 of UConn’s first 13 points.

However, Juhász suffered an ankle injury in the final minute of the first quarter. She limped off the court while needing support from Amari DeBerry and Paige Bueckers. Juhász immediately went into the locker room and didn’t return until the start of the second quarter.

In her absence, DePaul ended the first quarter on a 7-0 run while the Huskies suffered three turnovers in two-and-a-half minutes.

The first half featured nine lead changes and six ties. Juhász checked back into the game at 3:27 left in the second quarter, however; the Huskies’ offense was already beginning to struggle.

UConn finished the first half tied with DePaul on the scoreboard yet made just one of its last eight shots. DePaul led by as much as seven in the third.

It was the eighthstraight close game for the Huskies who conclude the regular season Monday against Xavier (Gampel Pavilion at 7 p.m.) while celebrating Senior Night. Yet, through all the downto-wire stress, and losing three out of its last even games, UConn has learned what it’s made of.

“The losses that we have had have taught us to prepare for every game and think of every game as a national championship game like it’s the last game of our careers,” Mühl said. “And I feel like we have come into games expecting to win sometimes, which is not good.

“Like, we don’t have a team like that that can just come in and blow everybody by 30 right now. So I feel like just understanding that every game has the same importance because everybody is going to come out and try to beat us in any way they can.”