Four Huskies Named to Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 25

Junior forward Megan Walker is one of four
UConn Huskies named to the Wooden Award
Mid-Season Top 25 list.

STORRS—Four members of the UConn women’s basketball team were named to the Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 25, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club Wednesday. Senior Crystal Dangerfield, junior Megan Walker, sophomore Olivia Nelson-Ododa and sophomore Christyn Williams were tabbed to the list.

Dangerfield is averaging 15.0 points per game, good for third on the team. She leads the Huskies with 44 assists and 4.4 assists per game.

Walker leads the Huskies this season with 21.0 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 9.4 rebounds per game. She has scored in double digits in every game this season, including seven games with 20 or more points.

Nelson-Ododa is averaging 13.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She is top three nationally with 54 blocks and 4.5 blocks per game. She has five or more blocks in five games this season.

Williams is second on the team with 16.3 points per game. She is also averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. Williams leads UConn with 19.7 points per game in conference play.

A Husky has won the Wooden Award five times previously: Maya Moore (2009, ‘11), Tina Charles (2010) and Breanna Stewart (2015, ’16).

The four have helped UConn back to the No. 1 ranking and a 12-0 record. The Huskies will have a tough test Thursday as they face No. 6 Baylor at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Name	School	Conference	Height	Class	Position
Aliyah Boston	South Carolina	SEC	6-5	Fr.	F
Chennedy Carter	Texas A&M	SEC	5-7	Jr.	G
Kaila Charles	Maryland	Big Ten	6-1	Sr.	G
Lauren Cox	Baylor	Big 12	6-4	Sr.	F
Elissa Cunane	NC State	ACC	6-5	So.	C
Crystal Dangerfield	Connecticut	American	5-5	Sr.	G
Rennia Davis	Tennessee	SEC	6-2	Jr.	G/F
Chelsea Dungee	Arkansas	SEC	5-11	Jr.	G
Dana Evans	Louisville	ACC	5-6	Jr.	G
Kiah Gillespie	Florida State	ACC	6-2	Jr.	F
Tyasha Harris	South Carolina	SEC	5-10	Sr.	G
Ruthy Hebard	Oregon	Pac-12	6-4	Sr.	F
Rhyne Howard	Kentucky	SEC	6-2	So.	G
Sabrina Ionescu#	Oregon	Pac-12	5-11	Sr.	G
Juicy Landrum	Baylor	Big 12	5-8	Sr.	G
Aari McDonald	Arizona	Pac-12	5-6	Jr.	G
Beatrice Mompremier	Miami	ACC	6-4	Sr.	F
Olivia Nelson-Ododa	Connecticut	American	6-5	So.	F
Michaela Onyenwere	UCLA	Pac-12	6-0	Jr.	F
Ali Patberg	Indiana	Big Ten	5-11	Jr.	G
Mikayla Pivec	Oregon State	Pac-12	5-10	Sr.	G
Satou Sabally	Oregon	Pac-12	6-4	Jr.	F
Destiny Slocum	Oregon State	Pac-12	5-7	Jr.	G
Megan Walker	Connecticut	American	6-1	Jr.	F

Christyn Williams

Connecticut

American

5-11

So.

G

 # indicates player selected as the 2019 Wooden Award Player of the Year

—Staff Reports

Huskies' Home Streak Stopped By Baylor

Cristyn Williams led the Huskies with 21 points, but it wasn't enough as
No. 6 Baylor bested the top-ranked Huskies, 74-58, at the XL Center on
Thursday night.

By Bob Phillips

HARTFORD—Not sure if this was a preview of the Final Four, or a reboot of the classic film Groundhog Day staring Bill Murray. Tea Cooper led all scorers with 27 points to lead No. 6 Baylor over top-ranked UConn, 74-58, before 12,415 fans at the XL Center on Thursday night. The loss brought the Huskies 98-game home winning streak to a halt—one game short of tying their own NCAA record of 99, which came to an end on Feb. 19, 2012 vs. St. John’s.

UConn’s last loss at home came against Notre Dame in the Big East final on March 12, 2013.

The Huskies led by five points, 18-13, at the first turn, but the Lady Bears stormed back to take a one-point lead, 35-34, into the locker room at intermission. The Baylor lead grew to three points, 55-52, at the third turn. While neither team could get into a groove at the beginning of the fourth period, UConn’s funk last throughout—the Huskies managed just six points in the final frame.

Which isn’t to say it was a done deal.

Indeed, neither team was able to find the bottom of the net through the first four and a half minutes. The Huskies finally broke the drought and cut their deficit to one when Christyn Williams'banged home a jumper with 6:36 left remaining in the contest, the Huskies trailed by just one, 55-54. Hope sprung eternal at the XL Center. However, the Lady Bears—the defending national champions—woke up from their late-game hibernation, slamming door shut with, a 15-point run and putting the game on ice. The Huskies didn’t score another basket until Crystal Dangerfield hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game. By then, of course, the outcome of the contest had already been decided.

Both teams now stand at 12-1 and while the Huskies will likely fall from their No. 1 perch when the rankings are released later today, these two teams are well-equipped for a rematch in this year’s Final Four to be played in New Orleans on April 3 and 5.

“You know, we have a really young team—young in terms of being able to play in this kind of game,” said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma after the game. “They don’t know how to play in this kind of game, when you are counting on them to make shots that other people used to make for them. So we are kind of immature for them in that way.

“In the fourth quarter we got four stops in a row and it was a one point game,” continued Coach. “And [we] came out empty handed. It looked like a shooting drill out there. We had some wide open shots that we missed.”

Auriemma was asked if these two teams meet again in March, might the result be more positive for the Huskies?

“In the next couple of months that’s the plan,” he said. “You take what happened today and go, ‘Okay, what [are the] areas that we can’t fix because that’s who we are, and what areas can we get better at?”

Assuming a March rematch, one of the things need fixing is the matchup of Baylor’s Nalyssa Smith and Lauren Cox with UConn’s Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Kyla Irwin. The two Huskies went 0-for-12 from the field and were outscored by their counterparts from the Lone Star state by the tune of 30-0.

“[That’s] not fixable,” continued Auriemma. “We compensate by making more threes. In spite of all that it was a one-point game. We knew we had to make more threes.”

Auriemma said his nteed needed to go 12- or 13-for 26 from beyond the three-point arc, not 8-for-26 as they did yesterday.

“Olivia will be ready the next time she plays in a game like this,” said Auriemma. “I know that.”

According to Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey there are six teams capable of winning the national title, with the Bears and Huskies among that elite group.

“No, we’re not on the same page as them,” countered Auriemma. “We don’t have enough. That first half… they made a bunch of threes and that’s not normally what they do. If they play like that and play the way they played inside they will be hard to beat.”

Indeed, this wasn't the first time that Baylor ended one of UConn's streaks. The Lady Bears topped UConn last season, snapping the Huskies' 126-game regular season winning streak, home and away. The Huskies were ranked No. 1 last year as well when the teams hooked up, and those two victories represent the Lady Bears’ only two wins over a No. 1-ranked team.

The Huskies now regroup before heading into conference play vs. Houston on Saturday. Tip-off at the XL Center will be at 1 p.m., and for fans not able to attend, the game will be televised on SNY, streamed on ESPN3 and broadcast on ESPN Radio 97.9. The Bears, meanwhile, head home to host Oklahoma State on Sunda.

THE SKINNY

—with staff reports

#uconn / #uconnwbb / @UconnWBB / @UconnHuskies / #BleedBlue / @BaylorWBB / #Baylor

Yale’s Rawlings To Play in East-West Shrine Bowl

Yale QB Kurt Rawlings has been tabbed to play in the East-West Shrine
Bowl. He joins Bulldog teammate Dieter Eiselen in postseason bowl play.
Eiselen will participate in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Both contests will
take place on Jan. 18, and will be televised on NFL Network.

NEW HAVEN—Yale senior quarterback Kurt Rawlings became the second Bulldog selected to play in a senior bowl when he was tabbed to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 18, at Tropicana Field in Tampa. The Shrine Bowl is the oldest running college all-star game having started in 1925. He joins joins All-American offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen who earlier was named to  play at the Rose Bowl Stadium in the NFLPA’s Collegiate Bowl also on Jan. 18.

Rawlings, who was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, was the only unanimous All-Ivy League offensive player of the year this season. He becomes the 11th Bulldog to earn the prestigious honor and the third in the past eight years under head coach Tony Reno’s tenure.

The Bel Air, Md., native was also recognized as the New England Football Player of the Year by the New England Football Writers, and was tabbed by STATS as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS Offensive Player of the Year. A three-time All-Ivy League selection and Ivy record holder for Player of the Week honors in a season with six, the 6-2, 210-lb. Rawlings set every passing and total offense record at Yale. He also orchestrated the greatest comeback in the history of The Game when Yale erased a two-touchdown deficit in the final 88 seconds to eventually win a share of the Ivy League Championship in double overtime vs. Harvard, 50-43.

Rawlings led the Ivy League in passing yards (3,002), touchdown passes (27), passing yards per game (300.2) and efficiency (163.5). He ranked fourth nationally in points per game (21.2), fourth in total offense (331.6), fifth in passing yards per game (300.2), fifth in points responsible for (212), seventh in pass efficiency (163.5), seventh in yards per attempt (9.24), 16th in touchdowns (27) and 16th in passing yards (3,002) despite only playing 10 games. Rawlings led the Bulldogs to a No. 23/22 national ranking in FCS, a 9-1 overall record and his second Ivy League Championship in three years. He went 24-6 overall at quarterback for Yale.

Since 1925 the East-West Shrine Bowl has benefited Shriners Hospitals for Children and its mission to provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families’ ability to pay for services.  Players like Gale Sayers, Tom Brady, John Elway, Allan Page, Dick Butkus, Brett Favre, Gino Marchetti and Walter Payton, along with coaches Don Shula, Dick Vermeil, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Jerry Glanville, to name a few, have supported the East-West Shrine Bowl.

The game will be televised  live on NFL Network. For those wishing to see the game in person, tickets are available online by clicking HERE, and can also be purchased at the stadium box offices.

Eiselen, a 6-4, 310-lb. offensive lineman from Stellenbosch, South Africa, was a first team All-Ivy League and New Football Writers All-New England Team selection. He started every game at left guard this season as has made 34 starts in his Yale career. He is now a three-time All-Ivy honoree. The ninth annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, to be played on Jan. 18 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., will also be televised on NFL Network. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

—Staff Reports

@yalefootball

Friars Top Marquette in OT Thriller

A.J. Reeves (3) was one of five Friars who scored in double digits
in Providence’s OT win over Marquette on Tuesday.

MILWAUKEE—The Friar train keeps on rolling. Providence College upset the Marquette Golden Eagles in overtime, 81-80, before 14,414 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. It was The Friars’ fourth straight victory after a sluggish 6-5 start to the season, and their first-ever win at Fiserv Forum. 
 
Five Friars scored in double-double digits. Maliek White  led the way with 19 points and four assists. Nate Watson popped in 13 points with five boards and two steals. Homeboy David Duke and Alpha Diallo contributed 12 points apiece. Duke added five assists and two rebounds, while Diallo hauled down 11 boards and blocked three shots for his seventh double-double of the season. A.J. Reeves rounded out the quintet with 10 points, three boards and three steals.
 
The Friars started the first five minutes absolutely en fuego. Center Kalif Young scored the opening basket of the game on a jump shot followed quickly by a Duke basket. Emmitt Holt  scored the first three of the night from the far corner. The Friars led 7-4 going into the first media timeout.
 
White was able to knock down a second chance three-point goal from the corner with 9:40 on the clock. Providence increased their lead to nine with the score at 17-8. Marquette's Markus Howard made his first three of the night to bring the Golden Eagles within three. Not long after the Friars found control again going on a 6-0 run. The score was 25-16 with a little under four minutes to play in the first half. Both teams finished strong trading baskets to play out the final minutes of the half.
 
The teams headed into halftime with a 32-27 Providence lead. Providence shot 11-26 (42.3 percent) from the field, 3-9 (33.3 percent) from three and 7-10 (70.0 percent) from the free throw line. Marquette shot 11-34 (32.4 percent) from the field, 3-13 (23.1 percent) from three, and 2-5 (40.0 percent) from the free throw line. The Friars scored 12 points off the fast break compared to Marquette's three.
 
Marquette started the second half with a spark. Markus Howard scored the opening eight points on two made three pointers and a layup. With 16:15 on the clock, the Golden Eagles got their first lead of the game on a jump shot. On the following play, they scored another basket from behind the arc to give them the lead, 40-35.
 
Holt ended Marquette's 11-0 run on a layup in the paint. Watson contributed with a hook shot on the next possession to bring the Friars within four and continued to score two more field goals down low. Marquette led 49-46 with 10:53 left on the clock.
 
Diallo made a tough play in the paint to put the Friars back on top. His offensive board and putback made the score 50-49. Both teams traded taking the lead in the following possessions.  The Friars then regained a three-point lead on a Reeves slam down the lane from White.
 
With 2:22 minutes left in regulation Marquette took a timeout. The contest was all tied up at 63. With 18 seconds on the clock, the Friars were down by three points and had the ball. Reeves drained a three from Duke to tie the game at 67 all. The Golden Eagles had four seconds on the clock to score and did not convert sending the game into overtime.
 
Reeves kept his streak going scoring the opening layup of overtime to give the Friars an early lead. With just under three minutes on the clock, White found Duke up ahead to gain a three-point lead. The score was 73-70. The Golden Eagles answer on the other end with a three-pointer to tie the game up yet again. With 1:19 left in overtime, Reeves struck again with a basket from downtown. With the score all tied up at 78, Young got the putback basket to give the Friars the advantage once again. He finished with nine points and three rebounds. Providence held on in the remaining 30 seconds to snag the win from Marquette.
 
Providence finished 27-59 (45.8 percent) from the field, 5-15 (33.3 percent) from three and 22-36 (61.1 percent) from the free throw line. Marquette shot 27-73 (37.0 percent) from the field, 11-29 (37.9 percent) from three, and 15-23 (65.2 percent) from the free throw line. Markus Howard led the Golden Eagles with 39 points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Friars, who dropped both games to Marquette last year by an average margin of 14.5 points, improved to10-6 on the season and 3-0 in Big East play for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

“We’re a lot more dialed in,” Young told Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal after the game. “There’s a sense of urgency understanding where we’re at. We know we have to step up and make a better effort and right now anybody can step up. Everyone has a chance to show up and play big for us.”

Things don’t get easier for the Friars, nor will they as Big East play kicks in. The Friars are back home to host the No. 6 Butler Bulldogs (14-1 overall, 2-0 Big East) on Friday at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Tip-off is at 9 p.m., and the game will be televised live on FS1 (with a replay on FS1 at 3 a.m.). Tickets ($15-$125) are available by clicking HERE.

Bits & Bites

• The Friars are 3-0 in Big East play for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
• The Friars have won three straight league games for the first time since 2017-18.
• The Friars have won four straight games and five of the last six contests.
• Friday will mark the Friars' first game this season against a ranked opponent.
• The Friars are looking for their first win over a ranked team since March 9, 2018 when they defeated No. 3/2 Xavier.
• The Friars' last win over a ranked team at home was a 76-71 win over No. 3/2 Villanova on February 14, 2018.
• The Friars have posted a 7-1 record at home and have a three-game winning streak at the DDC.
• After the Friars posted a 4-4 mark in November, the team then recorded a 4-2 record in December.
• The Friars are shooting 39.5 percent (73-185) from three-point territory at home (eight games) and 27.5 percent (47-171) in eight games away from the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
• The Friars lead the Big East in assists (16.9 apg).
• The Friars rank second in the Big East in steals (9.6 spg).
• The Friars rank third in the Big East in turnover margin (+2.4).
• Friar senior Alpha Diallo leads all active Big East players in rebounding with 369 boards in league regular-season 

—Staff Reports

#gofriars / #pcbb / @pcfriarsmbb