The first round of the WNBA semifinals has gotten off to a hectic start, but there are still six former Huskies that have made it this far. With the Lynx and Storm missing the scheduled first game due to inconclusive COVID-19 tests, they have since been able to return to business as usual.
UConn alum Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who won countless honors including being named an All-American and was the all-time 3-point leader during her time at UConn, is listed in the Connecticut Sun roster. In the first game of the semifinals, Mosqueda-Lewis played four minutes, in which she added two points to the Sun’s 87-62 victory over the Aces. The second game, however, Mosqueda-Lewis was unable to play due to the coach’s decision. Mosqueda-Lewis is fairly new to the Sun’s roster, and in 2018 she won a WNBA championship alongside Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart on the Seattle Storm.
Similar to Mosqueda-Lewis, Morgan Tuck did not play in her team’s first game of the semifinals due to the decision of Garry Kloppenburg and staff. Tuck’s teammates Bird and Stewart, however, were able to put up minutes against the Minnesota Lynx as they played a vital role on the team. Stewart helped lead the Storm past the Lynx with 10 rebounds, eight on the defensive end, to go along with three assists and 21 points, making her presence known in a variety of ways on the court. Bird, on the other hand, contributed three defensive rebounds, while adding eight assists and 11 points to the stat sheet. Bird and Stewart are leaders within the Storm that led them to a victory over the Lynx.
It’s clear the Lynx were fortunate in obtaining Crystal Dangerfield and Napheesa Collier. Although the Lynx lost 88-86 to the Storm in the first game of the semifinals, that didn’t stop the fight in the two Huskies. With 14.8 seconds remaining in the game, Collier tied the score at 86 before the Storm hit the eventual buzzer beater. Collier was her team’s leading scorer, ending with 25 points and making her presence known, especially on the defensive end. Collier had the most blocked shots of the night, with six, as well as grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Dangerfield had a rough scoring night as she went 0-for-3 from 3-point range and 2-for-8 overall, yet she found a way to contribute in other ways, such as in assists and rebounding. She remains phenomenal in her first season in the league.
These former Huskies will continue to be a joy to watch as the Lynx and Storm will match up for their second semifinals game against one another and the Sun will be entering their third semifinals game tied against the Aces 1-1.
