No. 7 UCONN vs. PROVIDENCE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
When: Sunday, 2 p.m.
Where: Gampel Pavilion
Records: UConn (21-5, 15-1 Big East), Providence (11-17, 6-13)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: The River 105.9 (WHCN) and The Varsity Network App UConn Sports Network
KEEP AN EYE ON
Paige’s second game back: UConn’s star sophomore returned to the court Friday night after spending the past 10 weeks recovering from a tibial plateau fracture and a meniscus tear. Bueckers came off the bench a little over six minutes into the first quarter and made her first shot attempt, which of course was a buzzer-beater. The reigning national player of the year finished with eight points, two rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes across three quarters.
Husky coach Geno Auriemma said his initial plan was to play Bueckers 15 minutes against the Red Storm, so it’s likely we see her play for longer come Sunday. As for when she’ll rejoin the starting lineup, that remains to be without an exact timeline and depends on how she continues to react to added workloads.
Senior Day: UConn will honor its four seniors, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Evina Westbrook, Christyn Williams and Dorka Juhász, before Sunday’s game. While Nelson-Ododa, Westbrook and Williams will begin their professional careers following the collegiate season, Juhász has yet to decide on if she will return to Storrs for her final year of eligibility.
Scouting the Friars: The Huskies last face Providence on Jan. 30 in Rhode Island, winning 69-61 without Juhasz due to a foot injury. Williams led UConn with 19 points and 7 rebounds followed by Westbrook with 13 points and Caroline Duchamre with 12. After losing to UConn, Providence has gone 2-6 with both of its most recent wins over Butler.
The Friars enter Sunday coming off a 57-51 loss to Marquette on Friday. Junior guard Janai Crooms leads Providence with 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. Friar senior forward Mary Baskerville owns the Enfield High School (CT.) record for most career points (1,870) across both boys and girls basketball programs.