UConn Defeats Cincinnati, 67-34
The UConn Huskies started its first AAC game as though it meant to show the rest of the league there was no chance of upending the defending National Champions. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis started a personal 4-0 run to get things going, helping the Huskies to run up a 16-0 lead on the overmatched Cincinnati Bearcats, holding them scoreless for the first six munites of the game.
And then the Huskies seemed to lose interest. That was partly due to Mosqueda-Lewis picking up her third personal foul to earn a spot on the UConn bench and partly due to who knows what. The pouring rain? The UConn-Cincy matchup being UConn’s first game in 6 days? Who knows, but the Huskies airballed shots and ping-ponged off one another during the last 14 minutes of the first half, slogging its way to a 13 point half time lead.
After what must have been a loud and colorful half time speech by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies came out in the second half with a bit more spunk. The defense stiffened up and the guards were more alert to passes that could be picked off. After a 16-3 UConn run, there was little doubt of the game’s outcome even as the uninspired Huskies went through the rest of the game on cruise control, finally finishing with a 67-34 win in a matchup that felt much closer than the final score.
It must be mentioned that even though Cincinnati was held scoreless for the first six minutes, it continued to scrap and play defense, mirroring the personality of its coach, former Husky Jamelle Elliott. After years of being a Big East cellar-dweller, Cincinnati has learned patience on offense and better positioning on defense, pestering the Huskies into a few rushed shots and ill-advised passes. You have to wonder what might have happened if Cincinnati’s best player, Dayeesha Hollins, hadn’t sat for much of the first half with an injury.
Alas, even an improved Bearcats team doesn’t possess enough sheer talent to overcome the Huskies even on a night where UConn pretty much sleepwalked its way through most of the game. A more talented roster wouldn’t have clanged bricks off the front of the rim all night (Cincy shot just 25% for the game). However, the Cincinnati defense was much improved from previous years and this game’s performance must give that team some confidence that it can challenge all comers on its schedule.
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