WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
No. 4 UCONN at UCF
When: Thursday, 6 p.m.
Where: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Fla.
Records: UConn 14-1, 5-0 AAC; UCF 9-5, 1-1 AAC
TV: SNY/ESPN3
Radio: UConn/IMG Sports Network, 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WICC-Bridgeport (600 AM), WINEDanbury (940 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM)
KEEP AN EYE ON
Ready for a fight: Another tough, physical battle is expected when UConn visits UCF to conclude a two-game road trip.
“It’s going to be identical to tonight,” coach Geno Auriemma said after the Huskies fought their way to a 68-56 win over Memphis on Tuesday. “They’re a very similar team. They play a very similar style, and we’re on the road.”
The Huskies beat UCF three times last season, including 66-45 in the American Athletic Conference championship game at Mohegan Sun. Each game took on a similar pattern.
“A dog fight, a dog fight,” point guard Crystal Dangerfield said. “Yep, that’s how it is, that’s how it’s always been with them.”
The Knights rank third in the AAC in scoring defense (58.4 points allowed per game) and are 8-0 at home.
Picking up the pace: Auriemma was disappointed with the flow, or lack thereof, of the Huskies’ offense against Memphis, feeling they settled for too many contested jumpers. While the Huskies shot a modest 46 percent, they were only 8-of-25 from beyond the arc.
“We have a tendency to stand around, and we got caught standing around a lot today,” he said. “When you can’t score easily in the lane … then you just give up on it and start jacking up jump shots.”
The Huskies attacked the basket more aggressively after halftime, and better results followed.
“Memphis did a great job in their 3-2 (zone), but a majority of the time it was just us (not) getting in the flow of our offense,” guard Christyn Williams said.
Seeking more continuity: Auriemma wants to strike a better balance on offense. Right now, the Huskies are overly dependent on three players, which he knows isn’t sustainable.
Against Memphis, Dangerfield, Williams and Megan Walker accounted for 54 points. The other six combined for only 14.
“We’re trying to win with three players and then patchwork,” Auriemma said. “Patch this up, patch that up, put this guy in for a little bit, put this guy over here. It’s been a real struggle to find any kind of continuity. We’ll keep trying.”
The Wright way: Senior point guard Kay Kay Wright, who shared AAC preseason player of the year honors with Dangerfield, leads UCF in scoring (14.9) and assists (4.1), but is also averaging more than three turnovers per game.
Familiar face: Nykesha Sales is in her fourth season as an assistant under Katie Abrahamson-Henderson with UCF. Sales ranks seventh all-time in scoring at UConn (2,178).