WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY PROVIDENCE AT NO. 13 UCONN
When: Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Where: XL Center
Records: UConn (12-3, 4-0 Big East) Providence (8-8, 2-1)
TV: SNY
Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZNew Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Willimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), Fox Sports 97.9 FM Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973
KEEP AN EYE ON
Back Home: The No. 13 UConn women’s basketball team hosts Providence Wednesday night in Hartford for its first home game of 2024.
As of Monday morning there was no official update from the Husky program on the status of graduate student Aubrey Griffin following her non-contact left knee injury last Wednesday. Griffin was on UConn’s bench with crutches during its game at Georgetown on Sunday.
UConn’s underclassmen will need to continue to step up in her absence — especially off the bench in providing sparks of energy and giving the starters rest.
The Hartford home crowd will welcome back former Husky and current Providence assistant coach Kaili McLaren to Connecticut on Wednesday. McLaren played for Geno Auriemma from 2007-2010 and helped the Huskies win the 2009 and 2010 national championships with perfect seasons.
About the Friars: New Providence head coach Erin Batth led Providence to back-to-back wins to begin the 2023-24 season, including a 57-47 victory over Vermont.
But like the Huskies, the Friars have also struggled with building a consistent lineup due to early injuries. Standout starting guard Kylee Sheppard played six games this season before suffering a season-ending injury. Team captain and senior guard Grace Efosa played the first five games of the year before also being sidelined with an injury.
Wednesday will be Providence’s second game against a top-25 ranked opponent this season. The Friars fell to thenNo. 10 Baylor, 61-36, in the West Palm Beach Classic on Dec. 20.
Providence opened Big East play with a 51-46 win over Seton Hall on Dec. 30. It beat DePaul four days later at home, 7265, before most recently losing against St. John’s on Jan. 6, 55-48.
Junior forward Olivia Olsen leads the team with 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after averaging 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in two games last week. Olsen has recorded a double-double in four of the last five games.
The Friars added junior guard/forward Marta Morales Romero from the transfer portal this offseason. The Spain native played her first two seasons at Wake Forest. Graduate student Laryn Edwards was also added to the 2023-24 roster on Nov. 28 after previously serving as a graduate assistant with the program. Edwards played four years of DI basketball at Loyola (Md.) from 2018-2022.
Series history: All-time UConn leads its series with Providence 45-21. The Friars’ last win over the Huskies was on March 7, 1993, winning 87-73 in Rhode Island. UConn has won 33-straight games against Providence.