Usually, when the No. 11 UConn women’s basketball team is involved in uncompetitive games, they’re the ones dealing the blows. This year’s team is a bit different. The Huskies are currently in the running for one of the unluckiest teams in the last three years, with an endless list of bumps, bruises and worse. The five season-ending injuries Connecticut sustained this year are no exception.
That unrelenting series of blows did not mix well with a road trip to top-ranked South Carolina. The Huskies were outclassed in several facets and looked like the less talented team in the 83-65 defeat. While missing All-America hopeful Kamilla Cardoso to a Brazil Olympics qualifier match, the Gameco*cks were still the deeper team.
They used eight players for at least 14 minutes each, which showed. Their size helped them outrebound the Huskies 46-37, score 12 more paint-points and block six UConn shots. Carolina was more efficient from downtown, hitting the same number of threes in four fewer attempts.
The lack of bench depth from Connecticut was especially glaring. Their lone points from a non-starter came when freshman Qadence Samuels drained a three with seconds left to cut the deficit to 18. That shot came with its own special significance of preventing the Huskies’ first 20-point loss in over 15 years but had no role in determining the contest’s outcome.
Te-Hina Paopao led the way for SC with 21 points on 12 shots while hitting five of the team’s seven triples. Raven Johnson had a double-double, and Ashlyn Watkins had a great game. But it was the team’s effort that made the difference. Five players had nine or more points, compared to just three for the Huskies.
UConn started on the catch-up, and they never showed themselves as a threat. While Ashlynn Shade and Paige Bueckers each did a lot in the early portion to keep the Huskies afloat, the Gameco*cks still led by eight after a quarter.
Reigning All-American Aaliyah Edwards was shaken up early in the second period, which did Connecticut no favors. When she was out, USC’s lead ballooned well past double-digits, a considerable hill to climb when she reentered. By the time the half neared its conclusion, the Huskies were facing a 19-point deficit.
An Edwards layup cut it to 12 as a part of a 7-0 run that spanned across the halves, but the hope of that run continuing was short-lived. Throughout the period, South Carolina methodically picked apart the Huskies’ defense and bottled them up on the other end of the floor. None of it was sudden, but the scoreboard showed a 25-point differential after three.
UConn made up some ground in the final frame, but the matchup had long since been decided. Shade, Bueckers and Edwards each made solid contributions to the lone quarter they won.
Bueckers didn’t have her best game, but asking her to be much better is hard. She shouldered the load despite a few point-blank misses, taking nearly a third of the team’s shots. The former national POTY finished with 20 points on as many shots while adding five rebounds and three assists.
If a casual fan was watching this game, they might call Bueckers’ abilities into question, but that’s not fair in the least. The elite Gameco*cks’ defense isolated the standout, who couldn’t get anything going. She was frustrated and did better when she had a strong team of scorers around her to space the floor. She had no such luxury on Sunday.
Tied for leading scorer was Edwards, who played a solid game. Her 20 points and 12 boards on 13 shots are impressive, but the game was an uphill battle. She generally did what she could against an overpowering opponent, but one player can’t muscle a team to victory.
The freshmen had interesting mixed bags of performances. Playing in an environment like SC’s is no easy feat, and Ashlynn Shade was incredibly efficient. She was not afraid to shoot, taking 19 shots, but only hitting six. That, along with her 2/11 mark from beyond the arc, did not help the Huskies, who really would have benefited from a better shooting night. It’s important to remember that she’s just a freshman, and having to rely on one is brutal.
The other first-year, KK Arnold, managed just two points but showed some promise in other aspects. She grabbed some key rebounds, stole the ball three times and had a team-high four assists. While the freshman did get a little overzealous in attempting a few shots that were swatted, she brought the necessary energy for the moment. This performance will not be prominently featured in Arnold’s highlight reel, but it was one where she gave 100%, and it showed.
Looking at the contest from a 3,000-foot view, this changes nothing about the season’s trajectory. They’re not a national championship team. But they do have fight and are very good. So far, they’ve beaten every NET team they’ve played ranked below 20 and lost to every one they played above 14. Expecting a win over No. 1 was unrealistic, given how bruised and battered they are.
They’ll have the final six games of the Big East and the BET as a chance to get right, but it’s difficult to imagine what they would have done differently on Sunday. Their next challenge comes at Xavier, who is 0-12 in conference.
