Dangerfield displaying newfound toughness

HARTFORD — No statistic can adequately define the leap Crystal Dangerfield has made since her freshman year. Neither can any singular shot, assist or steal — though, to be fair, there’s plenty that still register.

As much as anything, her coach says, Dangerfield’s growth these past two years boils down to her willingness to stay on the floor.

“She got knocked around pretty good today,” Geno Auriemma said of Dangerfield following UConn’s season-opening victory over Ohio State on Sunday. “She would’ve been out two weeks as a freshman. Anyone of those things happen, right to the training room. She would’ve been done.

“Now, you saw today, she’s not coming out of the lineup. She’s not coming off the court.”

Dangerfield took a few shots, none more painful than an inadvertent bump to the eye that left her dizzy and unable to see for a few moments. All told, despite a few scares, she stayed on the floor longer than any other Husky — 31 minutes.

“Everything was dizzy, but I want to be out there on the floor,” Dangerfield said. “I want to be able to help my teammates. We were kind of going through a rough patch offensively and defensively. So, I wanted to be out there and be a leader by showing some toughness.”

If it were still freshman year, Dangerfield agrees, she wouldn’t have lasted four quarters.