WBB: Huskies fend off Friars for 30th straight win over Providence
PROVIDENCE - The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team was forced to make several adjustments on Sunday. Not only was their Sunday matinee against in Providence shifted to primetime, but they were forced to play without Dorka Juhasz, their graduate transfer-turned-starting five contributor in the wake of previous medical calamities who was scratched with a foot injury.
Still looking to develop a cohesive identity with their roster nearing full strength, the 10th-ranked Huskies let Providence linger for far longer than was reasonably comfortable but nonetheless mustered a 69-61 victory at Alumni Hall. Leading scorer Christyn Williams shouldered the load in her second game back from COVID woes, leading the Huskies (13-4, 8-0 Big East) with 19 points (8-of-12 FG) and seven rebounds as she played all 40 minutes for the third time this season. The time and venue adjustment, going from Dunkin’ Donuts Center to the Friars’ campus, was brought about by the weekend’s winter storms in the Northeast area.
The snow only served to delay UConn’s 30th consecutive victory over Providence (9-11, 4-7 Big East), but the eight-point margin of victory was the first single-digit advantage in the streak that dates back to 1994.
Though Connecticut trailed for only 17 seconds on Sunday (at a mere 4-2 deficit early in the first quarter), they struggled to pull away thanks to an uneven showing defined by turnovers. UConn led 15-10 after the first minutes and seemed ready to open things up thanks to an early burst from Aaliyah Edwards. Afforded her first start since Dec. 9 in the wake of Juhasz’s absence, Edwards sandwiched a Williams triple with a jumper and a successful and-one opportunity to open the second frame’s scoring. The sophomore took over most of the frontcourt and post duties with Juhasz out and Olivia Nelson-Ododa enduring foul trouble.
But consecutive possessions lost by Caroline Ducharme allowed Providence to tie the game before UConn embarked on a 13-0 run over the final 5:12 of the half to go up 36-23. That still wasn’t enough to put the Friars away, as they wound up winning the third quarter by a 19-14 margin. Careless errors continued to haunt Connecticut, as Providence lingered in the ballgame thanks in part to 20 points off 16 turnovers. It offset a solid shooting night for the Huskies, who earned a 54 percent conversion rate from the field (25-of-46). With the exception of Azzi Fudd’s blank slate in her second game back, all Connecticut participants had at least two turnovers, with Ducharme losing five.
Cooler heads somewhat prevailed in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies jumped out to a 17-point lead just before the two-minute mark. Evina Westbrook capped off a 13-point night off the bench with seven in the final frame, where Connecticut shot 8-of-12. Leading scorer Williams was right
behind her with six in the final stanza, earning her fourth straight game with at least 17 points (averaging 18.5 in that span).
On the Providence side, Michigan State transfer Janai Crooms put up a career-best 27 points to help the Friars keep pace on the scoreboard and capitalize on UConn’s mistakes. The Friars will have another chance to end their losing streak on Feb. 27 in Storrs, which will serve as the regular season finale for both teams.
Connecticut will look for smoother sailing on Wednesday night when they complete their season series with Creighton in Omaha (7:30 p.m. ET, SNY). A shorthanded group topped the Bluejays (15-5, 10-2 Big East) by a 63-55 final in Storrs on Jan. 9, paced by 17 from Ducharme. Creighton, tied with DePaul for the Big East’s runner-up spot, has won five of six since then, including a 95-71 home triumph over the Friars on Friday late afternoon.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
