WBB: UConn X’s out Musketeers in return to Hartford

Back in the friendly space of XL Center for the first time since opening day, the Connecticut Huskies were happy to reward their patient Hartford faithful.

HARTFORD-Back in the friendly space of XL Center for the first time since opening day, the Connecticut Huskies were happy to reward their patient Hartford faithful.

Caroline Ducharme reached double figures for the fifth consecutive contest with a team-best 20 points while Olivia Nelson-Ododa put in 11 and blocked a career-best eight on Saturday afternoon. Their efforts provided the Huskies (9-3, 4-0 Big East) the necessary tools to run away with a 78-41 victory over the Xavier Musketeers.

Connecticut took advantage of a downtrodden Big East opponent for the second straight game, establishing a permanent double-digit lead on Ducharme’s lay-up with just over six minutes gone by in the opening quarter. UConn had scored the first 11 points of the game, with all but four of those tallies earned by Christyn Williams, who matched her tally of 19 points from Wednesday’s win over Butler.

The one-sided win also allowed the Huskies to set several seasonal landmarks: they’ve now won three in a row for the first time since November (when they won each of their first three) and they preserved their massive lead (which summitted at 41 in the final frame) by allowing only six points in the third, their season-low allowed in a single frame.

In addition to her career-best in rejections, Nelson-Ododa also set a new personal best with five steals. It was part of a UConn defensive effort that forced 24 turnovers and allowed Xavier (6-9, 1-5 Big East) to shoot only 26 percent from the field. Such a massive lead allowed to UConn empty the bench in the fourth. Sophomore forward Piath Gabriel took advantage of an extended opportunity, scoring nine (on 4-of-5 from the field) and rebounding five over ten minutes, all season bests.

Aanaya Harris led the Musketeers with 12 points, netting at least 10 for the first time since Dec. 8. With the win, UConn improved to 3-0 against Xavier since they became conference adversaries in 2020. A rematch in Cincinnati is scheduled for Feb. 18.

The Huskies return to action on Monday late afternoon for a non-conference affair against Oregon in Eugene (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Ducks (8-5, 1-1 Pac-12) returned to action on Saturday against No. 7 Arizona after a brief medical pause. This will be UConn’s first visit to Eugene since 2012, when they earned a 95-51 victory. Oregon won the last meeting 74-56 in Storrs in February 2020.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags