oldude
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In what was clearly a battle against a very tough, athletic team, on the road, UConn’s three captains led the team to victory at TN last night.
In a game when UConn struggled to score from the floor and the foul line, Christyn stood out with her aggressive play on offense. Some might suggest that 8/18 shooting is nothing special. I would argue that in a game like last night’s the confidence not only to continue to take those shots, but make just enough was absolutely key to UConn’s victory. Geno pointed out in his postgame presser that UConn “hung around” for 3 qtrs. No one was more important than Christyn in keeping the game from getting away from the Huskies.
Some BY’ers felt that Liv didn’t play well because she missed three 3-pt shots that she was clearly tasked by Geno with taking to try to open up the lane by forcing Key to come out and guard her. While her shot wasn’t falling, in the second half in particular, Liv dominated the game defensively. UConn played a lot of zone in the 2nd half, and Liv anchored that zone. She led all players with 11 rebounds, 7 on the defensive end. In the 2nd half, when TN tried to attack the basket, Liv had 3 blocks, 1 steal and otherwise intimidated the LV’s into missing a bunch of shots. During the 2nd half, TN was held to 26 pts on 33% shooting. No one was more responsible for those stats than Liv.
Finally, we have to talk about Evina. We can only imagine the emotions that she felt heading back to play at TN for the first time in 2 seasons after a difficult departure from the LV program. Before the game Geno talked to Evina about, “playing with emotion, but not getting emotional.” Whether Geno’s comments had an impact or not, Evina was brilliant. She had 15 pts on 5/8 shooting, 3/5 from the arc, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Evina played with great poise throughout the game and hit a couple of critical 3’s down the stretch that had to feel like daggers to LV fans.
The leadership by UConn’s captains eventually showed the way for the youngsters to step up and join them. Aubrey pretty much made plays throughout the game, but in the 4th qtr she got off the bench with 4 fouls and helped key UConn’s run. Aaliyah settled in and played with confidence and the physical presence that was critical at both ends of the court. Lastly, Paige had struggled terribly to make shots for 3+ qtrs. But in the 4th qtr she came alive dropping dimes, creating steals and ultimately making shots, including the exclamation point 3 that ended any hope the LV’s had.
TN was a really important game for UConn. Facing adversity, the leaders stepped up to lead the team from behind to overcome a talented opponent on the road, and in so doing they learned something important about themselves. The Huskies are absolutely capable of winning tough games in challenging situations. After last night we should all feel a lot better about this team and their chances in March.
In a game when UConn struggled to score from the floor and the foul line, Christyn stood out with her aggressive play on offense. Some might suggest that 8/18 shooting is nothing special. I would argue that in a game like last night’s the confidence not only to continue to take those shots, but make just enough was absolutely key to UConn’s victory. Geno pointed out in his postgame presser that UConn “hung around” for 3 qtrs. No one was more important than Christyn in keeping the game from getting away from the Huskies.
Some BY’ers felt that Liv didn’t play well because she missed three 3-pt shots that she was clearly tasked by Geno with taking to try to open up the lane by forcing Key to come out and guard her. While her shot wasn’t falling, in the second half in particular, Liv dominated the game defensively. UConn played a lot of zone in the 2nd half, and Liv anchored that zone. She led all players with 11 rebounds, 7 on the defensive end. In the 2nd half, when TN tried to attack the basket, Liv had 3 blocks, 1 steal and otherwise intimidated the LV’s into missing a bunch of shots. During the 2nd half, TN was held to 26 pts on 33% shooting. No one was more responsible for those stats than Liv.
Finally, we have to talk about Evina. We can only imagine the emotions that she felt heading back to play at TN for the first time in 2 seasons after a difficult departure from the LV program. Before the game Geno talked to Evina about, “playing with emotion, but not getting emotional.” Whether Geno’s comments had an impact or not, Evina was brilliant. She had 15 pts on 5/8 shooting, 3/5 from the arc, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Evina played with great poise throughout the game and hit a couple of critical 3’s down the stretch that had to feel like daggers to LV fans.
The leadership by UConn’s captains eventually showed the way for the youngsters to step up and join them. Aubrey pretty much made plays throughout the game, but in the 4th qtr she got off the bench with 4 fouls and helped key UConn’s run. Aaliyah settled in and played with confidence and the physical presence that was critical at both ends of the court. Lastly, Paige had struggled terribly to make shots for 3+ qtrs. But in the 4th qtr she came alive dropping dimes, creating steals and ultimately making shots, including the exclamation point 3 that ended any hope the LV’s had.
TN was a really important game for UConn. Facing adversity, the leaders stepped up to lead the team from behind to overcome a talented opponent on the road, and in so doing they learned something important about themselves. The Huskies are absolutely capable of winning tough games in challenging situations. After last night we should all feel a lot better about this team and their chances in March.
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