WBB Tournament returns to Storrs in blowout fashion
STORRS-Situating NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament action in front of predominantly hometown fans at Gampel Pavilion for the first time since 2019, the University of Connecticut Huskies were more than happy to play the role of gracious hosts on Saturday afternoon.
A mostly partisan crowd no doubt enjoyed the Huskies’ latest postseason staging in Storrs, as No. 2 UConn (26-5) is halfway through the two-step path to Total Mortgage Arena via an 83-38 victory over the Mercer Bears in first round action on the Bridgeport section of the bracket. Christyn Williams led a diverse scoring effort with 13 points, as six players put in at least nine. The senior also partook in a strong defensive effort by forcing a team-best four steals, part of a 21-turnover outing for the Bears. Mercer (23-7) sank only 13 shots on 56 attempts from the field (23 percent) and failed to score at any point during the third quarter.
“No matter the opponent, no matter who we're playing, we got to be focused on ourselves. And we take pride here in putting our defense first and letting the offense come after that,” Paige Bueckers said of the keys against the 15th-seeded Bears, champions of the Southern Conference. “We worked super hard in practice on defense and that's our sort of standing ground, just holding people to (fewer) points and just being active on defense. So just no matter what team we're playing, no matter what round it is, we're just focused on that.”
With UConn heavily favored and eliminating most of the drama in the early going, national eyes likely turned to Bueckers, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since December. The sophomore sensation had 12 in 25 minutes, her busiest outing since a knee injury cost her over two months of action.
“I think ever since the end of the Big East Tournament I've just tried to lock in mentally and physically and trying to do whatever I have to do, cut certain stuff out and just really lock in these next, this next month,” Bueckers said. “I think in the last 10 days I really locked in on that. So that's helped me gain confidence in my movements and what I'm doing on the court and then just my teammates giving me confidence, my coaches giving me confidence, and just to keep working, and they're going to be by my side and help me through that. So I think just a whole lot of confidence and moving better and the preparation has helped me be better on the court.”
Despite ranking among the Huskies’ leading scorers, Bueckers continued to function primarily in a facilitator’s role, trying only seven shots from the field (hitting five). Bueckers expressed no concern about the perceived lack of opportunities shortly before Geno Auriemma declared that the team has no minutes target, for Bueckers, planning to let the tournament games play as they lie.
“I think I'm just still trying to find my way back in,” Bueckers said. “Obviously different role today in the starting lineup. I'm not really looking to force shots. I'm just looking to shoot when I'm open and get everybody else involved. That's what I did last year. That's what I'm going to continue to do this year, and if the game calls for me to take 15 shots, then, or two shots, doesn't really matter to me.”
Caroline Ducharme and Dorka Juhasz had 10 each in their respective NCAA Tournament debuts while fellow newcomer Azzi Fudd had nine. Juhasz, a rare Storrs senior making her maiden voyage in the tournament, earned a double-double with a matching 10 rebounds.
Partaking in their first contest since capping off a championship run in the Big East Tournament on March 7, UConn got off to a start that Auriemma described as “choppy”. Their lead at the first quarter break sat at only eight (17-9) after they lost the turnover battle 6-5.
“We went into the game wanting to play quickly and make sure that we created as many possessions as possible,” Auriemma said. “One of the downsides to playing like that is you try to play a little too quickly sometimes and play fast and make passes and make decisions that you wouldn't ordinarily make.”
“I thought defensively Mercer did a pretty good job of forcing some of our other guys to have to make shots early in the game. That always takes a little bit of time to get used to,” the head coach continued. “But as Paige said, the best thing that can you do for your offense is to get your defense where it needs to be and let that translate into offense. I thought from the second quarter on we did that.”
UConn opened the second quarter by forcing seven consecutive turnovers, one emphasized by a full-court press headlined by Bueckers and Nika Muhl, who earned recognition from Auriemma for her defensive energy off the bench. The lead reached 20 by halftime and was officially sealed through the 20-0 shutout to open the third frame.
“When (Muhl) is not in the game our defense is not the same and you saw it today, he said. “The minute she enters the game, things change, and then people get caught up, and now it's contagious.”
“I thought, in the third quarter, we were more locked in,” Juhasz said of the blank in Mercer’s score-by-quarters. “It was more, it was sharper. We were able to get some steals, get some traps. So I think it was just a different kind of mindset, a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more locked in, and that's how we have to come out the first quarter as well.”
Mercer was forced to play a majority of the game without leading scorer and two-time SoCon Tournament MVP Amoria Neal-Tyson, who was forced to the locker room with an apparent arm injury. Her only participation in the second half came through support on the bench, where she appeared with her left arm in a sling. Shannon Titus took over the scoring lead in her absence with 12. Mercer is still seeking its first win in the NCAA Tournament, dropping to 0-4 all-time.
UConn’s run to their 12th national championship is set to continue on Monday, where they’ll face No. 7 Central Florida at a time to be determined at Gampel Pavilion. The Knights (26-3, 14-1 AAC) made it to the Round of 32 through a 69-52 win over in-state rival Florida in Storrs shortly after UConn put the finishing touches on their own triumph. A win over the Huskies would be historic in more ways than one: not only has UConn won each of their second round contests since 1994, but the Knights are 0-13 all-time against their former American Athletic Conference rivals.
| Date | Location | Game | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday, 3/17 | Raleigh, NC | No. 16 Longwood 74, No. 16 Mount St. Mary's 70 (First Four) | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Raleigh, NC | No. 9 Kansas State 50, No. 8 Washington State 50 | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Storrs, CT | No. 2 UConn 83, No. 15 Mercer 38 | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Bloomington, IN | No. 3 Indiana 85, No. 14 Charlotte 51 | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Raleigh, NC | No. 1 North Carolina State 96, No. 16 Longwood 68 | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Storrs, CT | No. 7 UCF 69, No. 10 Florida 5 | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Bloomington, IN | No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Princeton | - | - |
Saturday, 3/19 | Norman, OK | No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Massachusetts | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Saturday, 3/19 | Norman, OK | No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 IUPUI | 10 p.m. | ESPNU |
