The last time the No. 13 UConn women’s basketball team faced St. John’s, the Huskies were riding the high of big victories over the Big East’s top two teams. It was a home contest in Hartford, Conn. 11 months ago, and was not one that many expected to be competitive, given Connecticut’s 30-point thumping of the Red Storm a month earlier. This time, the Huskies entered on a nine game win streak and could have overlooked this one. They didn’t fall into the same trap.
With a business-only mindset, the Huskies took care of the Johnnies, who were dealing with an illness that had spread around the team. It looked like UConn was going to run away with the game before it even had a chance to get going.
Thanks to their stifling defense, the Huskies went on a 16-0 run that lasted over four minutes. It also helped that Connecticut was shooting the lights out from deep, with three different Huskies contributing to them making five of their first six threes. Up 22-6 just 7:30 into the matchup, St. John’s was showing no signs of life.
Out of nowhere, things clicked. Whether it was a lack of focus, a burst of energy or a mix of both, the Red Storm finished the period on a 12-2 run, closing the gap to just six. The run was enough to bring the Huskies’ focus right back into place, as they scored the first 13 points of the second, which effectively put the game out of reach. St. John’s never got closer than 18, largely thanks to the play of Paige Bueckers.
The once-national POTY delivered a vintage performance, scoring 22 points in 25 minutes. The impressive part was that it took nine shots to get to the total, hitting on eight. In their previous two blowouts, Bueckers deferred more to her teammates, but is really finding her stride. She was a bit shakier to start the year coming off an ACL tear, which is to be expected. The way she’s responded has been tremendous for the team, who seems to get thinner by the minute.
One person who stepped up big time amid the attrition was redshirt-freshman Ice Brady. She recorded a personal-best 17 points and grabbed four boards. With Aubrey Griffin sidelined for the season, newer faces stepping up is as important as ever. Brady recorded 23 minutes and was more assertive, attempting 11 shots. Her six giveaways were a mark of normal growing pains, which are to be expected. The positives of having another viable frontcourt option cannot be understated, with depth in that department currently a big weakness.
The current frontcourt anchor, Aaliyah Edwards, had herself a great day too. She finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. With the aforementioned lack of depth at the big, Edwards’ consistency comes at a premium. As they line up against the nation’s bests, long minutes and excellent play will be a must to win.
They didn’t need her ‘A’ game against the Johnnies, but she still delivered on it. This was a part of a larger team-effort, with Connecticut outclassing their hosts in nearly every category. Perhaps most jarring was UConn’s 37-14 advantage on the glass, demonstrating high effort levels. They also won the paint battle by 32 and out-assisted St. John’s 28-9.
Spearheading that passing effort was Nika Mühl, who led the team with six dimes. Though her calling tends to be getting her teammates involved, Mühl has thrived as a shooter lately. She ends up drawing a number of open looks beyond the arc because of the way teams guard her and she’s been making them pay. Including her three makes on four tries Saturday, the point guard is nine of her last 14.
She and the Huskies’ next chance will come on the road against Seton Hall. Perfect at 6-0 in conference, they’ll take on the 3-3 Pirates.