UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The UConn women came into the Big East tournament firing on all cylinders, and we’re not talking about a V-6 any more, or even a V-8.
The Huskies are moving more like a nine-cylinder, if such an odd number existed in high-powered sports cars, and that was far too much firepower for Georgetown. With coach Geno Auriemma running fresh players in and out, UConn overwhelmed the Hoyas, 84-38, Saturday in the conference quarterfinals at Mohegan Sun.
“The talent of UConn took over,” Georgetown coach James Howard said. “... Their length, their experience, their ‘why.’ I mean, when I say ‘their why,’ they’re playing for a national championship. They’re not playing for anything else. They’re trying to find their chemistry.”
Paige Bueckers, in her most extended and productive playing time since returning from her knee surgery, had 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes.
“She was probably anxious to play more than she did the first couple of games,” Auriemma said. “And I think she got more involved than she did the first couple of games. Little by little, it improves every game.”
Ten players scored for UConn, including Christyn Williams (15), Aaliyah Edwards (14) and Azzi Fudd (11) joining Bueckers in double figures, but the star of the game, continuing the current trend, was the Huskies’ ensemble on defense. Georgetown was held without a field goal for a stretch of nearly 15 minutes in the first half, as the Huskies, promoting 17 turnovers, built a 43-9 halftime lead.
For the game, Georgetown had 27 turnovers, and the Huskies 13 steals.
“I feel like, the team that we have, we thrive on defense and it helps us get going offensively,” said Williams, who made five steals. “If we start off aggressive on the defensive end, it gets us going. We need to play all of our games like that.”
Georgetown, the No. 9 seed, had won three in a row including a first-round win over Providence, but shot only 27.5%, getting few quality looks against UConn’s relentless defense.
“They’re a very aggressive team that jumps everything you try to do, they’re not going to allow you to get into a rhythm,” Howard said.
The top-seeded Huskies (23-5), who shot 50%, getting 24 assists on 32 baskets, play Marquette in the semifinals on Sunday at 3 p.m.
UConn actually got off a little sluggish, scoreless the first 2:28 before Fudd hit a 3-pointer. Georgetown, with starter Kelsey Ransom out with an injury, hit a couple of 3s and led 6-3 before the Huskies delivered on of their signature knockout runs.
Williams had the hottest hand, scoring 13 points in the first quarter, which UConn finished with 19-0 run. The dominance continued into the second. Auriemma continued to turn to a bench stocked with players who started earlier in the season due to the many injuries.
“I generally try to look out at what’s going on on the floor,” Auriemma said, “and at one point, one of the assistants will say, ‘we need one more shooter out there.’ That kind of opens up one avenue. You’re trying to make sure you’ve got players who can complement each other out there and can play multiple positions. The other part is, I want the minutes at the end of the game to reflect that we worked pretty hard to make it fair, so that everybody got significant time.”
Williams played 29 minutes, eight others between 16 and 25. Edwards had seven rebounds in her 25 minutes, tied for team high with Dorka Juhász, who played 16.
“It definitely shows the depth of our team,” Edwards said. “Whenever somebody subs in, they’re going to come out with that same intensity. Coach emphasizes, ‘when you’re out on the court give it your all because somebody’s going to come in and match that same energy you just produced.’ ”
That included Bueckers, the national player of the year in 2020-21, who came off the bench in this, her third game back. She began to shake off the rust and find her rhythm with increased playing time, hitting a couple of 3s in the final minutes of the half.
Bueckers, who was 5 for 8, including 3 for 4 on 3s, and Edwards led the scoring in the second half as UConn breezed to the finish. At one point Bueckers, who played 12 and 13 minutes, respectively, in her first two games back, made a steal and was fouled, knocked down, as she went in for the layup.
“You look at a game like today,” Auriemma said, “she makes threes, she rebounds, she has four assists, she impacts the game in so many different ways. To be able to add somebody like that to your team is pretty significant. Not many teams can do that this time of year. She’s still a ways away from where we need her to be. But I’m glad she got knocked on her butt on that layup, because I think she was worried about what would happen in that situation. Now she realizes she’s OK.”
