Huskies Thrash Wichita State

Napheesa Collier scored 32 points and snared 12 boards to lead the No. 2
Huskies over Wichita State, 84-47, on Tuesday night.

WICHITA, KS—No Geno? No problema!

The No. 2 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team entered the second game of a road excursion through the nation’s heartland without their Hall-of-Fame coach, who missed his second straight game while coping with a stomach virus, and for the second straight game with associate head coach Chris Dailey at the helm, the Huskies didn’t miss a beat. Behind a 32-point, 12-rebound performance from senior forward Napheesa Collier, the Huskies coasted past Wichita State, 84-47, before 6,156 fans at Charles Koch Arena on Tuesday night. Collier, a native of O’Fallon, MO, moved into 10th place on the Huskies’ all-time scoring list, passing Rebecca Lobo. Collier has 2,137 points.

Katie Samuelson poured in 18 points for the Huskies—fueled by five 3-pointers—and Crystal Dangerfield added 14 points and eight assists for UConn.

Freshman Carla Bremaud scored 15 points for Wichita State (11-16, 4-10), just three shy of her season high. Bremaud was 6 of 10 from the floor while the rest of the Shockers were 13 of 44.

“We came out with an aggressiveness,” said Dailey. "We pushed the ball in transition, and that puts a lot of pressure on them. Even when we didn't hit shots early, I liked the way we were playing.”

Collier was 13-for-15 from the floor. She moved into eighth place on the school's career scoring list, moving past Kara Wolters and Diana Taurasi. The senior forward has 2,169 points, and is just 10 points away from moving into fifth place all-time at UConn.

“I just feel like Napheesa is going to score anytime she gets the ball,” Dailey said. “And she just doesn't get boxed out. She just goes make plays.”

Trailing 5-4 early, the Huskies went 23-0 run and lead 27-5 at the first turn. Game, set, match.

The Shockers, with five freshmen among their top eight players, went more than nine minutes without scoring in a stretch that extended into the second period. Meanwhile, Connecticut shot over 50 percent from the floor in each period, ending the game shooting 57.7 percent (30-for-52, including 10-for-23 from downtown), while holding the Shockers to 35.2 percent (19-for-54). The Huskies also dominated down low, outscoring the Shockers 38-18 in the paint, and parlayed 20 Wichita State turnovers into 27 points.

“Tonight was definitely a learning experience for our young squad,” Wichita State coach Keitha Adams said, who added “Big slice of humble pie.”

Big Draw

Other than a school-kids day, Wichita State had yet to reach the 2,000 attendance bar at a home game, and the Shockers had only played in front of more than 2,000 fans on the road once. But with the Huskies in town, attendance bumped up to over 6,000.

“That was a really great crowd,” Dailey said. “We were excited to be in an arena we've seen on TV. And you could tell it was a knowledgeable crowd.”

Bench-Building

There were no doubts about the star-power UConn would have this season, but there was some question about the Huskies' depth. Dailey thought sophomore Mikayla Coombs and freshman Olivia Nelson-Ododa took another step toward erasing that doubt Tuesday night.

“Both Mikayla and Olivia have put themselves in position for the playing time with what they've done in practice and in games,” Dailey said. “And the effort they give, the important things they give us, starts on the defensive end.”

Whither Geno?

Dailey said she expects Auriemma to return from his illness soon, even joking with the media that "you'll never see me again." She said Auriemma has been texting questions ever since UConn won 68-49 Sunday at Tulsa.

Asked what playing without Auriemma has taught her about her team, Dailey smiled and said, "Coaching doesn't matter?”

With the win, the Huskies improved to 26-2, (14-0 American) clinched an outright American Athletic Conference regular-season championship. They also remained unblemished—100-0—in regular-season games since joining The American.

The Huskies now head home to host Houston on Saturday. It will be Senior Day at the Gampel Arena. Tip-off is slated for noon, and the game will be televised on SNY and streamed on ESPN3. It will also be broadcast on ESPN Radio 97.9 FM.

—Staff Reports

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