The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Huskies tough it out in win over UCF
Samuelson held without a field goal in physical matchup
ORLANDO, Fla. — Shortly after a physical, emotionally charged victory where she was accused of flopping, Katie Lou Samuelson emerged from the UConn locker room with her lower left leg tightly wrapped. The good news for the Huskies and their national championship aspirations, though, is that the All-American guard seemed to be in good spirits, even laughing at the fact that she had made it through the day in one piece.
Samuelson and the fourthranked Huskies matched UCF’s might Sunday afternoon, parlaying a dominant start into an intense yet otherwise comfortable 78-41 victory at CFE Arena before a crowd of 5,844.
“Every game’s different, every game is played differently,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Some games it’s all run up and down and score 95 points and make it look easy, and some games are grind-it-out kind of games.
“It’s nothing unusual when we play Central Florida. The games are always like this, they’re physical, and you’ve got to make some tough plays.”
Samuelson scored 12 points in 34 minutes. None of them came easy. She failed to hit a field goal for the first time since the eighth game of her freshman season (Dec. 11, 2015 against Florida State). On top of that, she was called a “flopper” by a member of the UCF bench after drawing a foul just before halftime.
“It’s a physical game. I’m not the strongest person out there, I know that,” Samuelson said. “I’m not pushing people out of the way. So, whatever people think is what they think, but I’m still going to play the same way I play every day.”
Besides that, it was just another ho-hum victory for the Huskies — No. 112 in a row in American Athletic Conference play. The Huskies improved to 23-2 (11-0) this season, while UCF, which came into the day second in the AAC, dropped to 20-5 (9-3).
The Huskies took control early, making eight of their first 15 shots and outscoring UCF 23-4 in the opening quarter. The Knights
committed seven of their 23 turnovers during that stretch.
“We just play basketball,” guard Crystal Dangerfield said. “That’s what we’re here for at the end of the day. If teams want to do extra stuff like (play physical), then let them. But we’re here to play basketball.”
Forward Napheesa Collier paced the Huskies with 18 points and 11 rebounds, notching her 14th doubledouble. Megan Walker had 13 points while Christyn Williams and Dangerfield matched Samuelson with 12.
Though Samuelson struggled from the floor, shooting 0-for-5 (all 3-point attempts), Auriemma came away impressed with her effort.
“She couldn’t get anything to fall, but she was active,” he said. “She got involved in a lot of things defensively. Getting to the free-throw line enough times to make 12 free throws, that means you’ve been active, that means you’ve been playing.
“The way the game was called and the way this particular team plays, there’s an opportunity to get to the free-throw line.”
Samuelson’s toughness is unquestioned. She played through much of last year on a left ankle that required surgery — the same ankle on which she landed awkwardly Sunday following a drive to the basket. After gritting her teeth and shaking off a few body blows following this latest win, Samuelson insisted she felt fine.
“You’ve just got to battle through,” she said. “I expect to get physical play every
game now. I’m just happy to come out without injuries.”
Auriemma credited his team for not getting “caught up in some of the nonsense” of the game.
“I thought we handled it great,” he said. “Our defense was great.”
The Huskies led 34-17 at halftime before blowing things open in the third quarter. Williams scored all 12 of her points in the third, hitting three straight 3’s.
Guard Kay Kay Wright led UCF with 17 points.
Moving on up: With her 12-point effort, Samuelson passed Kaleena MosquedaLewis, Nykesha Sales and Kerry Bascom for fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 2,188 points.
Sales had a front-row seat to that accomplishment, as she’s in her third season as an assistant at UCF.