Not every game is built the same. Some are exciting ranked matchups, where each team lives and dies by every possession. Others happen on a rainy night in Hartford against a bottomfeeder in the conference. Monday’s game against Butler was the latter for the No. 17 UConn women’s basketball team.
As is often the case for games like these, the Bulldogs had this one circled on their calendar. It showed. They came out of the gate firing, absolutely lighting it up from deep. Butler made five of their first shots from beyond the arc and UConn was letting it happen. The Huskies consistently went under screens, enabling these open looks. Butler doesn’t usually shoot so well, but half the battle in making shots is finding so much space.
Eventually, UConn used their size and quickness to remove those uncontested shots. The visitors did make five of their final 11 attempts, a figure that is great, but far from their first quarter mark. The aforementioned speed and athleticism enabled the Huskies to nab eight steals, four by Aubrey Griffin, which led to 13 fastbreak points. The size led to a 32-21 rebound advantage, a statistic that’s much more common for a contest of this type.
The shining star on the night was Ashlynn Shade, who easily had the best game of her young career. The Indiana-native notched 22 points on 4/10 shooting from downtown, while hitting all five of her other shots. Shade looks infinitely more comfortable since the beginning of the year, needing to knock off the freshman jitters. One can’t take too much from an outing against a team of Butler’s caliber, but it’s an encouraging showing nonetheless. She’s started the past four games, swapping with Griffin, a senior.
The move has worked out equally well for Griffin, who has looked more comfortable coming off the bench. She followed up a fantastic game Saturday with a more well-rounded one, posting 14 points on 5/6 shooting to go along with four steals, four boards and three assists. Coach Geno Auriemma indicated previously that the ceiling is the roof for his senior if she’s willing to put maximum effort forward. A pair of performances like this is only further evidence that Auriemma hit the nail on its head.
Paige Bueckers played a solid game but took much more of a step back than she often has this year. Her lone three pointer wasn’t enough to help her gain much of a rhythm, but the star was able to help out in the passing department. She dished out a team-high seven assists, doing a good job deferring to her teammates in a night that she wasn’t on.
Connecticut opened the contest on the wrong foot, having their share of difficulties defending. Their offense was mediocre, and they weren’t blowing out their visitors in the way they often do. They sleepwalked their way through their first frame and managed to stay close to Butler despite the Bulldogs’ elite three point shooting.
Mühl drilled two early triples and Bueckers added a few dimes, but the motor wasn’t there. The first three minutes of the second quarter were no more impressive, with Butler up by six. Then came Shade and Aubrey.
The former did a lot of damage, hitting a few shots to jumpstart the run. Griffin helped the cause too, converting on a pair from the field as a part of the team’s 22-5 run to end the half. Qadence Samuels also added to the hurt, immediately contributing a triple off a screen.
One factor in the game was the slippery surface they were playing on. It’s likely due to the flip-flopping of hockey and basketball being played on the floor of the XL Center and the rainy weather, but regardless of the cause people were slipping and sliding. It was fortunate nobody was injured.
The Huskies continued to pour it on as the third quarter went, scoring the first six and the last eight. The defense in the period stood out though, as they only gave up 10 points, a far cry from what they allowed in the first half.
Shade really exploded in the final frame, hitting back to back threes and another jumper, all in three minutes. Aaliyah Edwards woke up from a quiet game with a few buckets towards the end, but the game had long since been decided.
Edwards had a nice 12 point, 12 board line in this one, but her efforts were muted. It took her 11 shots to get there and more than half of her points were in the second half, a night that was a step back from the one against Louisville. It’s not much to get concerned about, especially as she gets ready to return home and then gets a much-needed breather.
UConn next faces off Wednesday against Toronto Metropolitan in Ontario, Canada for Edwards’ homecoming. The game will count as an exhibition and can be viewed on Fox Sports 2.