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- Apr 24, 2022
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I often rewatch this game because it shows so clearly how great Aaliyah is, but also is one of the few head-to-head comparisons we have for two of the premiere players in the game. And Caitlin does not come off well in it. Her line is 25 pts on 9-24 shooting including 2-11 from 3. She also grabbed 7 rebounds and had 6 assists, which shows the breadth of her contribution. Azzi, by contrast, scored 24 pts on 10-19 shooting and 4-10 from 3. The game wouldn't have been remotely close but for the fact that Kate Martin shot 6-6 from 3, which feels rather like a fluke. Without Martin's lucky shooting, this would have been a blowout, and Caitlin's line would have seemed absurd in such a context.When UConn & Iowa faced off back in November of 2022, Clark scored 25 points. She was 9-25 in FG, 2-11 in 3PT, and 5-7 in FT. I don't doubt that Clark would potentially get more than 20 points if UConn were to play them again, but I wonder if we could still hold her to the same shot %.
For the record, this was also a game where CD alone gave us 15 points off the bench and Iowa's bench alone only contributed 2 points.
Similarly, Aaliyah held Czinano to 8 pts on 3-7 shooting and 7 rebounds while scoring 20 on 10-16 shooting, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Dorka was out for this game, so it was just Aaliyah with a little assistance from Ayanna who played 7 minutes.
I call this a head-to-head comparison, though it's between Caitlin and Azzi, not Paige. But I suspect Caitlin's shortfall would have been even worse had it been Paige instead of Azzi. The plain fact is, Paige and/or Azzi are simply better than Caitlin when it comes to getting victories. I really hope we get another head-to-head matchup in the final four this year.