Huskies Wallop Irish By 18

Freshman Christyn Williams shot 11-for-16, scoring 28, to lead
the No. 2 Huskies over the No. 1 Irish on Sunday.

By Bob Phillips

SOUTH BEND, IN—This one people had been looking forward to since the 2018-19 season tipped off: The UConn women’s basketball team taking on the defending national champions—the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. After six games that amounted to little more than scrimmages, this is the one where the Huskies would be truly tested.

Guess what? We’re still waiting.

Led by freshman Christyn Williams, who scored a career-high 28 points—including 16 in the first quarter—the No. 2 (and certainly No. 1 later today) Huskies trounced the defending champs—who came into the contest as the top-ranked team in the land—89-71 before 9,149 fans and a national television audience on ESPN at sold-out Purcell Pavilion on Sunday.

Of course, the Huskies were motivated with revenge. The Fighting Irish had snuffed out their hopes of a 12th national championship with a 91-89 win on a buzzer-beater in overtime by Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale in last year’s national semifinals played in Columbus, OH.

“This is something I’ve dreamed of—this game, to be playing in it,” Williams told The Hartford Courant after the game. “But if you think of it that way, you will get butterflies.”

After what would be a career-defining contest for many, if not most, college players, this was essentially simply a learning experience for Williams, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma’s star recruit of the class of 2022.

“Christyn is one of those rare individuals that comes along,” Auriemma said. “Some people just know who they are. She knows who she is. She knows what she is. She’s a freshman, so she’s only going to get better from here. Wait until she learns some of our plays.”

Katie Lou Samuelson, who was held scoreless by the Irish in the first half, finished with 15 points, including a three-pointer that gave the a 10-point cushion with 6:08 remaining in regulation. Napheesa Collier added 16 points and 15 boards, Crystal Dangerfield popped in 13 points and Megan Walker added 12 for the Huskies, who improved to 7-0. They also ended Notre Dame’s 28-game home winning streak, while, at the same time, avenging the aforementioned crushing defeat to Muffet McGraw's crew in last year’s semis.

Jackie Young, who scored 32 against the Huskies in that game, led the Irish with 18 points. Arike Ogunbowale added 17 points and 10 rebounds—but 12 of her points came before intermission. Jessica Shepard contributed 13 points to the Irish cause, Marina Mabrey had 11 and Brianna Turner 10 for Notre Dame, which fell to 7-1, and will surely fall of its No. 1 perch later today.

Just how far the Irish fall is a matter of conjecture.

Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale (left) and Marina Mabrey celebrate
their win over UConn in last season’s NCAA semifinals.

And while this game doesn’t really amount to a bag of beans in the long run—indeed, the Huskies topped the Irish in an early-season skirmish last year only to fall to their archrivals in the Final Four, consider this: Notre Dame’s record is 97-3 in its last 100 home games. Want to venture a guess who those three losses were to?

“What I liked [today] was we found a way to answer everything,” said Auriemma. “There wasn’t anything that went down that we didn’t have an answer for.”

Next up for the Huskies is a trip to the nation’s heartland where they will take on the Billikens of Saint Louis University, while the Irish travel to Toledo to take on the Rockets.

The Huskies’ next real test will come on Jan. 3 when they travel to Waco, Tex., to challenge No. 4 Baylor. Connecticut, which never has and never will back away from competition, also features No.

—with staff reports