Five Takeaways: Samuelson turns in complete game
The UConn women made quick work of Seton Hall, defeating their old Big East rival 99-61 Saturday at the XL Center.
Katie Lou Samuelson scored 26 points and hit the 319th 3-pointer of her career to pass Diana Taurasi for second on the school’s alltime list.
The Huskies will head into final exams week at 9-0 and ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. They won’t play again until Dec. 19 at Oklahoma.
Here are five takeaways on UConn’s win:
Lou does it all: Katie Lou Samuelson set out with the goal to be a more complete player. So far, so good.
The All-American had arguably the best all-around game of her career, recording 26 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and two steals. It was only Samuelson’s second double-double and her first game with double-digit rebounds.
Even when Samuelson doesn’t shoot particularly well (9-of-21, 4-of-12 from 3), she finds ways to make an impact.
Nice try: Don’t try to out-run UConn. Seriously, it’s not worth it.
Just as DePaul did, the Pirates attempted to turn up the tempo. They pushed it on offense and pressed on defense — and none of it worked. The Huskies are just too talented and surehanded to fall for such traps.
UConn outscored Seton Hall 23-13 in fast-break points.
⏩Heating up early: Christyn Williams is proving to be a remarkably fast starter. The freshman was arguably the best player on the floor in the first quarter, when she scored all 15 of her points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Of course, it’s impossible to forget what Williams did to spark the Huskies against Notre Dame (16 first-quarter points).
The little things: Williams made an outstanding hustle play before halftime, diving to save a ball that was headed out of bounds. It ended up in the hands of Crystal Dangerfield, who was then fouled with 0.6 seconds remaining.
It didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things — Dangerfield was awarded two free throws in a 30point game — but it was emblematic of what sets Geno Auriemma’s teams apart.
Staying active: Quietly, Mikayla Coombs had an active game off the bench. The sophomore notched six rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes.
With Batouly Camara injured and Lexi Gordon having transferred, the Huskies’ bench is down to four players, including two guards. They certainly could use a more-confident, more-assertive Coombs.