Junior Kia Nurse floats a basket during the Huskies 100-56 victory over Tulane at Gampel Pavilion on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. (Jackson Haigis/The Daily Campus)
Time and Place: 1 p.m. Sunday at Gampel Pavilion, Storrs CT.
Where to Watch: SNY, channel 64 on Storrs TV listings
Last Meeting: On Jan. 17, UConn defeated Tulsa in Oklahoma by a score of 98-58. In that meeting sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson had a career-high 34 points.
UConn’s Last Time Out: UConn won at Temple 97-69, with the road win UConn broke the record for most consecutive road wins with 35 in a row.
Tulsa’s Last Time Out: The Golden Hurricanes won at home 100-92 over the East Carolina Pirates on Jan. 31.
Projected Starting Lineups: UConn (21-0, 9-0 the American) vs. Tulsa (8-14, 4-5 the American)
G: Saniya Chong vs. Erika Wakefield
Leading the country with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4/1, Chong sits third on the team in assists with 74 total and is averaging 7.1 points per game. Against Temple, the senior had 12 points and six assists in 31 minutes played. Wakefield, the 5-foot-4 guard, is averaging a team-high 12.1 points and 3.9 assists per game, as she is also the only player to start in all 22 games this season.
G: Kia Nurse vs. Ebony Parker
Nurse is sitting second on the team in assists per game with 4.2 as she is third in points with 13 but first in minutes per game with 32.6. The junior is having a great year as she is second on the team in made threes and is shooting 45 percent from the field. In the last game against UConn, Parker was 2-10 from the field and 1-9 from behind the arc as she is first on the team in made threes with 42 on the season.
W: Katie Lou Samuelson vs. Liesl Spoerl
Samuelson once again put in a great performance on the road as she was 9-14 from the field for 24 points against Temple. She is now averaging 21.7 points per game and is shooting 46 percent from behind the arc and 50.6 percent from the field. Spoerl is averaging four rebounds per game which is good for second on the team. Despite only playing 19.5 minutes per game she is averaging 6.1 points per game.
G: Gabby Williams vs. Shug Dickson
For the third game in a row, Williams had a great performance as she was 7-11 from the field and had six assists and four blocks. Williams is first on the team in assists, rebounds and steals per game. Against UConn, Dickson lit it up as she had 21 points and four assists in 33 minutes of play. The guard was 8-17 from the field and was an impressive 5-8 from behind the arc, she is second on the team with 9.6 points per contest.
F: Napheesa Collier vs. Kendrian Elliot
Collier led the way for UConn against Temple as she scored a game-high 25 points on 12-14 shooting, as she also snagged a game-high 10 rebounds. On the season she is second in points per game with 19.1 points but first in shooting percentage at 67.1 percent. The 6-foot-2 forward, Elliot is third on the team in points per game with 9.2 points as she is the Golden Hurricane rebounding leader with 7.6 per game.
Talking Points
Growing Audience: Through 11 telecasts, SNY’s UCONN Women’s Basketball is up +14% compared to the same period last season.
Maintaining Perfection: Head Coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies are an all-time 5-0 against the Golden Hurricanes, winning by an average of 47.6 points per game, with the closest margin of victory being 38 points.
Dominating the Television: In Households with Televisions or HH’s, SNY’s UCONN/Temple Women’s Basketball game topped YES’ telecast of the Knicks/Nets game, NBCSN’s NHL double header and seven live college basketball games aired on ESPN2, ESPNU and FS1 in the NY area.
Matt Kren is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering women’s basketball. He can be reached via email at matthew.kren@uconn.edu
