With 2:43 remaining in the third quarter, freshman guard McKayla Miller drew the foul as she drove to the basket and made a layup. Aubrey Griffin, playing in Omaha, Ne., for the first time since her sophomore season, got called for the foul on that play. On her way down following the shot and the call, the graduate forward grabbed her left knee and remained down long after the whistle. The capacity crowd at the DJ Sokol Arena fell silent.
Griffin got emotional as she required assistance from head coach Geno Auriemma and several others leaving the court. The graduate forward’s departure put a damper on the No. 12 UConn women’s basketball team’s explosive 94-50 victory over the No. 21 Creighton Bluejays. Other than early conclusions from Creighton’s team doctor that her knee is unstable, no official update has yet been provided regarding Griffin’s injury.
With the team’s longest tenured player out of the contest, senior forward Aaliyah Edwards and freshman guard Ashlynn Shade reignited the Huskies’ momentum across the final 2.5 minutes of a dicey third quarter. The latter of the two finished off a three-person play following a turnover in the final seconds of the frame, beating the buzzer with a floater that gave Connecticut a 30-point advantage after 30 minutes.
Before that all happened, the Huskies started the calendar year 2024 the same way they ended 2023: an offensive outburst against Top 25 conference competition. Redshirt junior guard Paige Bueckers, who entered Omaha averaging 23.2 points versus ranked opponents, propelled UConn’s offense in the paint and from beyond the arc while missing just one shot. Both programs battled early on, but once the Bluejays’ three-point shots stopped falling like they did in the first four minutes, the Huskies capitalized and built up a 27-14 lead.
Even with Connecticut’s turnover woes gradually rearing their ugly heads as the first half progressed, Creighton mustered just four points off of them. Bluejays head coach Jim Flannery called timeout after the Huskies buried three triples in the opening 3:35 of the second quarter, but not even that stopped the offense. Remove a Creighton three-pointer that got taken away at halftime because of a shot clock violation, and UConn doubled their lead on a 14-0 run that set up their 24-point advantage at the break.
Edwards and Bueckers both sat on the bench with eight minutes remaining in regulation, barely having an impact on the Huskies’ 16-2 run that opened the fourth quarter. Freshman guard KK Arnold sprinted the length of the court on a steal-and-score, highlighting a final stretch where Connecticut surrendered just four points in the last seven minutes of the period and dropped 90+ against another ranked Big East foe.
Similar to their last two trips to the Cornhusker State, the Huskies quieted Creighton and their capacity crowd behind a lethal attack in the paint. For the second time in three years, UConn bested the Bluejays 40-16 in that aspect with at least two quarters where they scored in double figures. The Huskies also held the 12-3 edge on the fast break.
Bueckers facilitated most of Connecticut’s production in the paint, blending her three-ball with a quickness that came with each breakaway opportunity she acquired. Her 24 points, four treys and seven assists facilitated an offense that did not stop for most of the game. Beyond making their shots in the interior, the Huskies went 53.3% from the floor and buried 7+ triples in their seventh straight contest.
UConn also made their presence known on the post and the defensive side of the ball. Picking up 11 second-chance points on 10 offensive boards, the Huskies outrebounded Creighton 45-29 and limited them to a season-low 50 points, four triples and a 25% clip from the field. Edwards played a part in that suffocating defense, swatting two shots and recording her sixth double-double in her last seven contests with 11 boards and 16 points.
Senior guard Nika Mühl recorded seven assists in her second straight game, securing 500 for her career on Connecticut’s first three-pointer and becoming the 13th player in program history to hit that milestone. Arnold buried that bucket from downtown, one of five field goals that she made for 17 points with two steals to boot. Shade one-upped the four-time Big East Freshman of the Week with 18 points while grabbing five rebounds and blocking a shot.
Only two players finished in double figures for the Bluejays, who have scored less than 60 points in each one of their eight all-time meetings against the Huskies. Senior forward Emma Ronsiek, Creighton’s leading scorer, went 7-8 at the charity stripe for most of her team-leading 13 points. Senior guard Lauren Jensen made half of her team’s four threes for 12 while Molly Mogensen dropped five with six boards and four dimes. The Bluejays, beyond their offensive struggles, scored 11 points off the 13 turnovers they forced and shot 18-21 from the free throw line.
Despite UConn’s powerful performance, most of the attention between now and Sunday will revolve around Griffin, who has six double-digit games so far this season. Junior guard Azzi Fudd, redshirt freshman Jana El-Alfy and sophomore forward Ayanna Patterson are all already been lost for the year. A fourth season-ending injury to one of their key difference-makers would be less than ideal for a team that has, among other important conference battles, a bout with the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia next month. For the Huskies, positive news is the one thing the coaching staff, the players and the fans can simply hope for.
While the status or severity of Griffin’s injury remains uncertain, Connecticut (11-3, 3-0 Big East) continues their road trip with a daunting challenge against the Georgetown Hoyas (12-2, 2-1 Big East) on Sunday. Tip-off from McDonough Arena in Washington, D.C., is currently set for 1:30 p.m. on SNY.