At the start of the women’s college basketball season, UConn was viewed as a frontrunner and one of the top dogs in the sport. With so much talent, it was hard to imagine a world where they struggled.
Now, in early December, the team is completely sputtering. Azzi Fudd is out for the season, Caroline Ducharme has been frequently sidelined and Ayanna Patterson hasn’t yet suited up. They squeaked out of the Cayman Islands Classic with a 1-1 split and traveled down to Austin, TX for a chance to redeem themselves.
Playing against No. 10 Texas was not a good way to get things back on track. Though the Huskies showed flashes of potential throughout the contest, they couldn’t piece together enough of their game to come out on top. The Longhorns led wire-to-wire for an 80-68 victory, largely thanks to the heroics of Rori Harmon.
The junior guard is having a sensational campaign on both ends of the floor and Sunday was no exception. Harmon poured in 27 points, 13 assists and five rebounds, looking like the best player on the floor. It’s unclear how the Horns would have done without their star, but others did contribute heavily. Madison Booker and Amina Mohammed combined for 35 on the afternoon, playing a big role in the program’s first ever win over Connecticut.
UConn looked tired for a lot of the game, as they were seriously outhustled–and outplayed. Though outshooting their hosts by 13%, Texas grabbed 16 offensive boards for 15 second chance points. Turnovers were also the story of the game. The Huskies gave the ball away 21 times, leading to 36 points off turnovers for the Longhorns. Errors like those are enough to completely shift the outcome of the game.
The Huskies were jumped from the opening tip, unable to get anything going early. Booker and Harmon scored five and nine points, respectively, in the opening minutes en route to a 17-5 lead.
Connecticut – who took their first gut punch in the early goings–showed life in the rest of the quarter. Nika Mühl, Aaliyah Edwards and Paige Bueckers all contributed to a 9-2 run that got the Huskies as close as five.
Edwards was the only Connecticut player with a game to feel okay about. Even though she was outmatched down-low and allowed a bevy of offensive boards, she put up a solid performance on the other side of the court. The Canadian posted 22 points and six boards on just 11 attempts. She needs more support from her teammates, but at this point, it’s unclear where it’ll come from.
Bueckers didn’t do great either, with 13 points and four assists. She wasn’t the one turning the ball over, but she wasn’t doing a lot to contribute to the winning effort either. UConn’s best run came when she was out and things started to go downhill again when the star reentered. She had a team-worst plus/minus of -18, not something you’d want out of your best player.
The momentum waned after that brief burst, with UConn managing just a single point in the final 4:34 of the frame. Harmon hit a gorgeous jumper to get the Longhorns back ahead by double digits. Brady and Edwards added shots to cut the deficit to just six, but it proved to be difficult to get much closer.
Shaylee Gonzales drilled a triple and the Huskies were turning the ball over left and right, with 11 at the half. They couldn’t put together any runs to combat Texas and entered the locker room down by 14.
Whatever halftime speech Coach Geno Auriemma gave to his players was not well received. Turnovers in three of their first four possessions allowed the Horns to open up an 18-point advantage, as senior Aubrey Griffin struggled mightily.
Griffin was responsible for four giveaways on the day and had a generally poor outing. Relied on as one of the leaders on the squad, she didn’t do much positive. She scored no points and grabbed six boards, fewer than the team needed with their undesirable rebounding performance. Regardless of anything else, Connecticut needs more out of their senior, especially on the glass with the team so short on frontcourt depth.
Later in the quarter, the Huskies finally found life. Bueckers scored five straight and dished the ball to Edwards for a layup to narrow things to just 10. The success was short-lived though. A last-second shot by Gonzales highlighted a 9-2 Texas run that put them back up by 17 to finish the third period.
KK Arnold helped propel a push early in the final quarter as the Huskies tried to squeeze their way back into the game. Qadence Samuels didn’t play until the second half but hit a massive shot and layup. As Connecticut looked to inch closer, Edwards sustained a massive bump and gave the ball away, their 20th of the day.
Peculiar calls from the officials took the wind out the Huskies’ sails. Though they got as close as six, they picked up their second defeat in their last three tries.
UConn’s next chance to right the ship will be against Ball State and Hana Mühl, Nika’s sister, this Wednesday in Storrs, CT.