Edwards was a force in win over DePaul
STORRS — One could wander blindfolded into the cloudy turbulence of this UConn women’s basketball season and pick from midair any number of oddities that would speak to what a strange experience the Huskies have been through over the past three months.
Yet all along, right before our eyes and on the court the entire time, has been one of the most bizarre examples of a national flag blueprint gone awry. Sophomore forward Aaliyah Edwards has been in uniform all 21 games, a significant achievement as part of the unluckiest team in program history, yet her play has been of the sometimes here, sometimes not, sometimes in between variety.
In a word, inconsistent. In a couple others, having regressed.
Which is the last thing anyone around the program expected. Edwards’ strong 2020-21 debut should have been a launching pad for something to pay close attention to, not just another quirky issue to shuffle in.
“That’s what is unbelievably frustrating, is that you don’t get the same kids showing up every night,” coach Geno Auriemma said Friday after the No. 8 Huskies rebounded from a loss, as they always do, to clobber DePaul 84-60 at Gampel Pavilion. “So all your plans go to waste.”
Edwards made 8 of 13 shots Friday, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes. With Olivia Nelson-Ododa missing a second game in a row, Edwards lined up with Dorka Juhasz (22 points, eight rebounds, four assists) to overwhelm DePaul’s smaller frontcourt.
Was this a seminal, even truly meaningful moment in Edwards already-accomplished and still promising college career? Not under normal circumstances. But what’s been normal about the 2021-22 Huskies?
From Paige Bueckers’ injury and all the rest that followed, to nine players missing at least a couple games, to two transferring out of the program during the season, to nine different starting lineups in 21 games, to five losses and the end of a remarkable 169-game conference winning streak, there has been head-shaking stuff to sift through.
The Huskies (16-5) are a very good team, as DePaul coach Doug Bruno hammered home as a reminder in his postgame press conference, but it’s sometimes difficult to appreciate that view with a backdrop of 11 national championships and six perfect seasons.
It’s been a strange run and the 6-foot-3 Edwards has probably best epitomized it all, first by managing to avoid injury, second by riding a stellar freshman season to the Big East Sixth Woman of Year Award, then onto the Canadian Olympic team and into the Tokyo Olympics … only to string together a roller coaster, head-scratching sophomore season.
She entered Friday’s game averaging 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, down from 10.7 and 5.7 in fewer minutes per game last season, when she shot 68.9 percent. In UConn’s four NCAA Tournament victories, Edwards made 24 of 31 shots. She became the team’s best post player down the stretch.
What happened over the summer? Did serving as the 12th player on the Olympic team set her back, blur her focus? Edwards was last season’s Big East Sixth Woman of the Year and a preseason first-team All-Big East selection. Even with
Juhasz transferring in from Ohio State to support and crowd the frontcourt, Edwards’ struggles have been confounding. She has been scoreless three times this season and mirrored the team in that just when it looks like something clicks, there is a start-over point.
Which was Friday for both team and player. Edwards was fantastic in Sunday’s rousing victory over Tennessee, scoring in double figures (14 points, seven rebounds) for the first time in eight games.
Then she was so flat in Wednesday’s loss to Villanova, UConn’s first conference loss since 2012-13, finishing with five points and one rebound and fouling out for the first time all season.
On Friday, Edwards and Juhasz powered past DePaul together as UConn avoided losing back to back games. Again.
What’s next? Is it even worth speculating on? Friday’s performance was encouraging, for sure. But there’s been no continuity of themes for this team — overall, and up and down the lineup.
Still, all struggles are relative. The Huskies have now gone 1,044 games over 29 years without losing two in a row. They’re just better than most of their opponents. UConn should beat DePaul, of course. Auriemma didn’t have to mention the streak — just like he never mentioned the conference streak and never counted the victories during the 111-game winning streak in 2014-17.
The Huskies watched the film, were disgusted by what they saw and played much better the next time. They probably played their best game of the season, in fact. And Edwards was a force.
“Coach was talking about our immature approach to the game,” Edwards said. “I think this game showed how maturely we can bounce back. It’s good just to smile and celebrate and be happy for one another.”
UConn left no doubt. During a particularly lively sequence, Juhasz took a no-look pass from Nika Muhl and scored on the break to make it 54-36. Moments later, Edwards created a turnover and went the length of the court for a layup while fouled, her 3-point play making it 59-40 with 4:24 left in the third quarter.
“I told these guys, our post players, they’d all be averaging 20 [points] if they made half their layups — the uncontested ones, especially,” Auriemma said. “The hard part is getting those. … Aaliyah can impact the game like she did (Friday) every game. She just has to choose to. She just has to get herself ready to. Hopefully she can give us something like she gave us (Friday) every night.”
There are six regular season games remaining. Injured players will return. That, obviously, will change everything, reduce the potential for such peaks and valleys.
But Edwards — held scoreless in eight minutes against DePaul Jan. 26 in Chicago, a game UConn won on Caroline Ducharme’s buzzer beater — has been there the whole time. She and Evina Westbrook are the only players to suit up for every game. That’s admirable. The problem is that their production has been as consistent as the roster chaos.
If she truly turned a corner Friday night, UConn has gotten back a player who never actually left.