On a scramble for a loose ball with 6:46 left in the third quarter, freshman guard KK Arnold and redshirt junior Paige Bueckers accidentally bumped into each other. Bueckers got the worst of the collision, putting her hands to her face as though she took a hit to the head while staying down on the floor.
Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J., fell silent as the redshirt junior guard walked to the end of the bench. For the No. 9 UConn women’s basketball team, the time Bueckers spent off the court with an icepack around the back of her neck felt like the continuation of a never-ending nightmare.
But everyone, from the other eight Huskies on the bench to the fans watching the game at SNY, all breathed a sigh of relief once the Minnesota native re-entered the game with 2:52 left in that frame. Bueckers had 17 points at a 5-8 clip when she exited the contest; she scored another 15 across her next 14 minutes.
Her season-high 32 points on 12-17 shooting spearheaded a UConn team that engaged in a physical battle with the Seton Hall Pirates. Both Big East charter schools committed over 15 fouls, turned the ball over at least 14 times and blocked three shots. When the dust settled, the Huskies escaped New Jersey with a gritty 83-59 victory over the Pirates.
It was not pretty by any means despite the offense scoring 80+ points in their eighth straight game. Connecticut shot 59% from the field, made 10 threes and controlled the boards 37-20, but they also surrendered 20 points from the 18 turnovers they committed. Seton Hall’s physical defense limited Big East Freshman of the Week Ashlynn Shade and senior guard Nika Mühl to just five points apiece with four combined baskets.
The aggressive nature of the game resulted in several instances where play had to be stopped because of an injury. Nine minutes after Bueckers’ injury scare, senior forward Aaliyah Edwards and senior forward Makennah White unintentionally tangled under the basket following a Seton Hall miss. The latter got called for the foul despite rolling her ankle, a call that stood after a video review for an intentional foul. White did not stay in the game much longer afterward, going down on a non-contact injury at the center of the court and requiring assistance heading into the locker room.
Despite the rough reputation the game produced, both teams’ offenses produced at an efficient clip. Seton Hall drew first blood in that regard. Graduate forward Azana Baines scored seven of the Pirates’ first 14 points, giving the Pirates an early five-point advantage heading into the U-5 media timeout. The Huskies’ offense woke up across the final five minutes of the frame, but despite Bueckers’ three tying the game with 1:23 remaining, Seton Hall always had a response.
It resulted in a somewhat shocking 23-21 Pirates lead after one quarter of play. While Seton Hall took the first quarter by a close margin, UConn dominated the second. Shooting 10-13 from the field and thriving behind a 24-6 run, the Huskies put the pedal to the metal offensively. Four of Connecticut’s 10 field goals were from beyond the arc. Mühl dished out half of her 10 assists. Freshman guard Qadence Samuels scored all five of her points in four minutes. Bueckers went on a personal 5-0 run and scored as many points as the Pirates did in the period. The Huskies outscored Seton Hall 30-10 and seemed on their way to a blowout with a 51-33 advantage.
Only Shade did not get on the scoresheet in the first half among the five starters. She provided the Huskies’ first five points of the third. Two of those points came in the 3:14 that the redshirt junior spent on the court out of halftime as UConn’s offense stalled. The other came from downtown before the U-5 media timeout. Baines and the Pirates capitalized by pulling within 11, but once Bueckers returned to the game, the Huskies regained their groove.
It was not evident early on as Seton Hall pulled within nine on Baines’ second three of the night, but Connecticut’s offense created the separation they had previously created in the second quarter. On the flip side, the Huskies’ defense limited the Pirates to one field goal in the game’s final eight minutes while forcing several turnovers.
With each basket Bueckers and Edwards made in the final frame, the Huskies’ slim advantage grew to the point where it became clear an upset would be avoided on Seton Hall’s campus. The game already over in the final two minutes, sophomore guard Ines Bettencourt delivered the knockout punch on a fast break with 17 seconds left as UConn completed their closest conference contest of the season.
A 7-8 mark from the charity stripe dictated Edwards’ 17-point, nine-rebound performance in 37 minutes. Arnold was the only other Husky beside Bueckers in double figures with 15 points and four triples. Holistically, Connecticut collected 20+ dimes for the ninth time in their last 10 contests. Wednesday marked the first time the Huskies recorded fewer than six steals in over a month despite scoring 15 points off the fast break.
Baines led all Pirates with 17 points at a 6-13 clip and six boards. Senior guard Amari Wright made her impact in the transition game with eight assists. Manhattan transfer Brazil Harvey-Carr shot 4-7 from downtown for 13 off the bench. Going 21-55 from the field, Seton Hall shot under 40% in their third straight game despite burying double-digit triples for the third time this season.
UConn (15-3, 7-0 Big East) returns home from their second two-game road trip of 2024 for a Saturday matinee against the DePaul Blue Demons (10-9, 2-4 Big East). Tip-off in the Huskies’ first contest at Gampel Pavilion in over a month is slated for 2 p.m. EST on SNY.