Huskies remain perfect in AAC play
TAMPA, Fla. — They’re not all going to be breathless exercises in wonderment. This one certainly wasn’t.
But for all that went wrong, for every errant pass or clanged jumper that drove Geno Auriemma batty, the UConn Huskies learned valuable lessons. Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to responding to losses.
The Huskies’ performance Sunday wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough and inspired the kind of confidence that should prove useful as they look to mold their identity in the regular season’s final few weeks. A sluggish start turned into a soaring finish as No. 5 UConn rallied to beat South Florida 67-47 before 6,044 at the Yuengling Center.
“We could’ve easily played the same as we did in the first half,” junior Megan Walker said. “Just knowing that every game’s going to be a fight from here on out will help us prepare.”
Playing their first game since losing by 18 to No. 1 South Carolina, the Huskies started poorly. Ten turnovers sent them spiraling into halftime down four. But the Huskies got it together in the second half, outscoring the Bulls 42-18 en route to their 131st straight victory in American Athletic Conference play.
“It’s just so much harder to try to win games when every offensive possession is like a slog. That’s what it feels like, it feels like we’re working so hard to get buckets,” Auriemma said. “Then in the second half, we got a bunch of easy ones.”
Olivia Nelson-Ododa figured prominently in that late surge, scoring 12 of her 20 points in the second half. The sophomore post player shot 9-of-12 and also registered eight rebounds and four blocks. Walker collected 21 points while freshman Aubrey Griffin chipped in eight points and five steals in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Huskies (21-3) put it away
in the fourth, outscoring the Bulls 21-6. USF went more than six minutes without a point and shot only 6-of-25 from the field in the second half.
“I thought Connecticut just played at a different pace,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said. “A different energy and a different pace in the second half on both ends of the floor.”
Said Nelson-Ododa: “We came out with a more aggressive mentality than the first half. That was able to carry us through for a win.”
The Bulls, who got 15 points from Elisa Pinzan, dropped to 15-10 on the season and fell to 0-30 against the Huskies dating to 2002.
USF led 21-13 after the first quarter and was up 29-25 at halftime. The Bulls made five 3-pointers in the first half, but only one after that. Walker said it was a simple adjustment that turned the tide for UConn.
“We chased people off the screens, and we stopped helping off the drives,” she said. “We knew they were driving to kick.”
A layup by Walker coincided with a 9-1 run in the third that gave the Huskies their first lead, 31-30, since the opening minutes. USF fought back to tie it, but the Huskies closed the quarter up 46-41.
For Auriemma, who took a bit longer than usual to come out for the second half, the spirited turnaround was a relief.
“With this team, you decide what you want to do and then you cross your fingers and you hope that you said the right thing,” Auriemma said. “I was just hoping and praying that the decision we made coming out was going to be the right one because we changed our defense completely. Sometimes, that can backfire on you.”
Looking ahead: While nothing has been finalized, Fernandez said USF and UConn are planning to play a home-and-home series beginning 2022-23 in Storrs and continuing the following season in Florida. UConn, though, didn’t confirm any talks.
Notable: Barbara Jacobs, the AAC associate commissioner for women’s basketball, was honored pregame. She is retiring at the end of the school year. ... UConn has won 205 straight games against unranked opponents dating to February 2012.