When going up against the top team in the country, there are various things the opposing team most likely takes into account during the scouting process.
When it comes to the UConn women’s basketball team, opponents are mostly looking at their full-court pressure defense to their ball movement on the offensive end.
With such strength in their bench and being such a storied program, it’s a tall task when going head-to-head against the Huskies.
It appeared as if the Creighton Bluejays, in the first quarter, had the Huskies number when they faced one another Sunday afternoon.
However, despite racking up 19 turnovers on the day, Connecticut shut down the Bluejays, taking their 33rd consecutive win with a score of 95-55.
In addition to their style of play, each player on UConn’s squad brings their own sense of style, grit and consistency.
One of those individuals, time and time again, has been sophomore Sarah Strong.
Often compared to UConn great Maya Moore, Strong, who was the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, has been one of the many focal points of UConn’s consistency in all aspects of the box score.
In this bout against the Bluejays, the forward finished the afternoon with 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals.
“I’m only thinking about the game,” Strong said postgame on the TruTV broadcast, “I’m just out there making reads, seeing what the game gives me and just play off my teammates.”
In the beginning frame, freshman Ava Zediker and the Bluejays’ squad gave Strong and UConn a taste of their own medicine.
To maintain a steady pace with scoring, the Bluejays were quick in how they moved the ball and created space around the court on the offensive end.
While the Bluejays were down by seven points at the end of the first quarter, the second told a completely different story.
The Huskies completely changed the tide of the entire game in their favor.
With both Strong, Azzi Fudd and Kayleigh Heckel at the helm, the Huskies scored a total of 33 points in the second frame.
In comparison, the Bluejays totaled only seven; their first points only came halfway through the quarter. The Bluejays also finished the first half with a total of 18 turnovers, which the Huskies converted into 22 points.
At the end of the first half, the Huskies had the upper hand with the score 54-21, UConn.
“I think teams in our league are pretty good at spreading the floor and trying to use up a lot of the shot clock. So, we knew that our full-court pressure was going to be a big factor, so we changed up a little bit about how we were going to get into that pressure.” Head Coach Geno Auriemma said at the half on the TruTV broadcast, “I thought our guys did a really good job of forcing turnovers.”
That second quarter seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the game between the Huskies and Bluejays.
Throughout the remainder of the game, Connecticut held Creighton to an accuracy of only 23.1% from beyond the arc and 33.3% from the field.
During the later portion of the game, Auriemma utilized the entirety of his bench to put his teams’ depth on full display.
In this conference matchup, every player available for the Huskies had the chance to step out on the court and put points on the board for the program.
One of those players includes freshman Blanca Quiñonez, who grabbed a total 15 points and four rebounds on the afternoon.
According to Talia Goodman of On3, Quiñonez is the only freshman in the power five so far to score more than ten points while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
Senior Caroline Ducharme also put up a perfect 3-3 from the field to add up to a new season-high for the forward.
With this win, the Huskies stay undefeated against the Bluejays (13-0) and remain undefeated so far this season (16-0).
Next up on the docket, the Huskies are set to return to the Basketball Capital of the World Thursday evening.
They are set to take on the Villanova Wildcats, with a tip-off time of 7 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion. Along with the game, UConn plans to induct the 2015-16 National Championship team into the Huskies of Honor.