UConn hosting Princeton
The UConn women’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Sunday at the hands of longtime foe Notre Dame. It was the Huskies’ first loss in South Bend since 2013 and their worst in the rivalry since 2004.
Star sophomore Azzi Fudd suffered a right knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s game and will miss the next three to six weeks after an MRI on Monday confirmed an injury. UConn did not release the details of Fudd’s injury, but she does have a history with lower leg injuries after tearing her ACL and MCL in high school and with last year’s ongoing foot injury.
Fudd’s injury combined with Dorka Juhász’s (broken thumb) return still yet to be determined leaves UConn with just eight healthy players for the time being.
The Huskies will play their first game without Fudd on Thursday when they host Princeton, led by former UConn standout Carla Berube. It’s the first meeting between the programs.
Berube played for UConn from 1993-97 and helped lead the program to its first national championship in 1995. After compiling a 384-96 record as the head coach of Division III Tufts, she took over the Princeton program in 2019.
In Berube’s four years and three seasons leading the Tigers (Ivy League did not play in 2020-21 due to the pandemic), she has compiled a 56-8 overall record, and won two Ivy League Championships and one Ivy League Tournament championship. She has twice been named the Ivy League Coach of the Year during her four years in New Jersey.
DORKA’S RETURN
Juhász missed her fifth-straight game on Sunday as she continues to recover from breaking her thumb during UConn’s game against Texas on Nov. 14. On Friday, Dec. 2, the graduate forward got a splint on her thumb and rejoined basketball workouts.
After Sunday’s game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Juhász’s availability on Thursday will be determined by how she feels in practice this week before the game.
WHO STEPS UP WITH FUDD OUT?
Without Fudd, the Huskies are down to just four true active guards: Nika Mühl, Lou Lopez Sénéchal, Caroline Ducharme and Inês Bettencourt.
Ducharme will likely start in place of Fudd, however, she has yet to play 30-plus minutes since UConn’s game at DePaul last January. The sophomore suffered a head injury in the middle of last season and was out for four games. After receiving hip surgery last spring, she sat out the Huskies’ exhibition and season opener due to neck stiffness. She looked most like herself last Friday in her 28-minute and 10-point performance against Providence.
Lopez Sénéchal will likely do the bulk of UConn’s scoring until Fudd returns followed by Edwards in the post.
But with just one guard available on the bench now, Auriemma will have to balance resting his guards versus using a majoritybig lineup (is it possible Ayanna Patterson gets her first collegiate start this early into the year?).
TIGER TALES
Princeton is 5-2 record, with the two losses against Villanova (losing 69-59 on Nov. 11) and then-No. 16 Texas (74-50 on Nov. 27). Thursday’s matchup against UConn will mark Princeton’s third against a Big East team this season after beating Seton Hall 62-58 on Nov. 14.
The Tigers are led by juniors Kaitlyn Chen (with 14.1 points per game) and Ellie Mitchell (13.7 rebounds per game). Mitchell’s rebound average leads the Ivy League and currently ranks her tied for No. 2 in the country. Her 3.6 steals per game average also leads the Ivy and has her at tied at No. 7 nationally.
Most recently, Princeton defeated Towson in Maryland 71-54 on Monday. Four Princeton Tigers scored in double figures as the team held Towson (also the Tigers) to zero 3-pointers and a 32.7 field-goal percentage. It was the first time since 2019, that a Princeton opponent didn’t score any 3s.
The Huskies are 19-9 all-time against Ivy League opponents (UConn has never played Columbia) and have never lost to an Ancient Eight team during Auriemma’s time at the helm.