Tonight’s Big East match-up in South Orange, N.J. has quickly become the toughest ticket in town, with average fares floating over $1,000 per seat to get inside of Walsh Gymnasium.
I was curious as to why that was – a random Wednesday night game in February between two teams whose last meeting was decided by 60 points – so I posted on X asking for clarification.
Former Daily Campus UConn women’s basketball beat writer Stratton Stave put it best:
“It’s in South Orange at Walsh [Gymnasium] — which is tiny (1,300 people) — meaning there are very few tickets available and a lot of people who want to see Paige. $1,000 seems steep though.”
Then it hit me – Paige Bueckers only has four regular season games left as a UConn Husky.
No wonder people are willing to shell out over $1,000 to watch the fifth year phenom play in an arena capable of seating just over 1,300 on a Wednesday night.
The stats back up the price, too. Bueckers currently ranks in the 98th percentile or above in each of the following statistical categories: points per 40 minutes (25.3), effective field goal percentage (59.7), turnover percentage (8.1), true shooting percentage (63.3) and assist/turnover ratio (3.59).
Bueckers most recently passed Connecticut legend Rebecca Lobo on the school’s all-time points list during the team’s demolition of South Carolina, notching her 2,143rd point as Lobo was commentating.
But even when Bueckers – who averages 18.4 ppg on the season – scored just three times from the field in Sunday’s win in Columbia, her impact on the court could not be understated. The redshirt senior grabbed seven rebounds, went perfect at the charity stripe and dished out 10 assists in the 29-point victory over the Gamecocks.
So, who stepped up in the scoring department if the team’s leading scorer took on a facilitator role in Sunday’s win?
Graduate wing Azzi Fudd scored 28 points, hitting on six three-pointers and shooting 77% from the field in a third quarter where she scored 18 critical points.
Freshman forward Sarah Strong notched her sixth double-double of the season, snagging 13 boards and accounting for 16 points on 31 minutes.
Redshirt freshman center Jana El Alfy played her best game as a Husky in Columbia, scoring eight points while collecting six rebounds and acting as a blockade in the paint for the Gamecock bigs.
With a four-starter attack carving apart the South Carolina defense, Connecticut managed to play one of its most efficient and satisfying offensive games this season. The team shot 43.7% from the field and nearly 47% from three.
But Sunday is Sunday. It’s Wednesday now. The Huskies travel to Seton Hall to take on the Pirates, who are coming off an impressive 21-point win over Providence at Alumni Hall. It was impressive in the fact that the Pirates shot 38.3% from the field and 19% from three and still managed to score 59 points on one of the hardiest defenses in the conference.
Since Jan. 25, Seton Hall ranks 42nd overall at Bart Torvik and 17th in defensive efficiency, creating turnovers at the nation’s ninth highest rate (32.2%).
Forward Faith Masonius is averaging 15.7 points per night in her senior season, shooting 48% from the field and 34.7% from deep. The do-it-all Masonius takes on many faces as the team’s leader, dishing 2.8 assists/game, snagging two steals/game and owning a +/- of +140 on the season.
Freshman guard Jada Eads has crept up on Masonius as a scorer, pouring on 26 points in the team’s win over Marquette last Wednesday to bring her year average to 14.5.
The third scoring option is sophomore guard Savannah Catalon, who averages 13.1 ppg and 3.4 steals per game next to Eads in the backcourt.
This is a guard-centric Seton Hall team who loves working the ball through Masonius at multiple spots on the court. Limiting Masonius’ movement on the offensive end will go a long way in slowing the Pirate offense down.
Keys to Victory for No. 5 Connecticut:
Keep Jana El Alfy and Azzi Fudd hot. Work the ball to these two early and let them shoot into a lead.
The same blueprint that slowed down Masonius back in January should be the first thing Geno Auriemma packs on his way down to Newark. Contest, contest, contest.
Control the tempo and draw fouls offensively – tempo will go a long way in offensive output.