UConn women's basketball guard Nika Muhl set the tone in the Huskies' 81-60 win over Villanova on Wednesday. Driven by “personal” motifvation to enhance the team's defense after a tough loss on Jan. 27 against Notre Dame, Muhl emerged as a key figure in thwarting Villanova's offensive threats.

“After that game against Notre Dame, I kind of took it personal,” Muhl said, via Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. “I really wanted our defense to be solid. … It was the whole team guarding all their players tonight. We were switching all over the place. We had mismatches, but we still fought through. I thought our bigs did an amazing job with their guards, especially in the pick and roll. That’s what we’ve been working on, and it shows.”

The Huskies, with an 18-4 overall record and a perfect 10-0 in Big East play, contained Villanova’s leading scorer, Lucy Olsen, limiting her to just 15 points — significantly below her average of 23.7. Muhl, alongside freshman KK Arnold, played a crucial role in this defensive strategy, focusing on Olsen and significantly reducing her impact, particularly in the game's crucial moments.

UConn's coach Geno Auriemma stressed the importance of limiting Villanova's inside game and controlling the rebounds. Although UConn initially struggled with energy, Muhl's performance — tallying 12 points, 10 assists and five rebounds — was instrumental in maintaining the team’s momentum.

“I thought the whole first half we were a little bit lax in keeping Lucy out of the lane, and once she gets in the lane, she make it really difficult,” Auriemma said. “The keys were to limit how many times they got paint touches, and no second shots because I thought we got killed on the offensive boards in the first half. I thought we took care of that pretty well (in the second half).

“That’s what killed us the other day (against Notre Dame). We only had KK, so we never had a chance to switch up how we were guarding people.”

On the offensive end, Aaliyah Edwards led the Huskies with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Paige Bueckers added 21 points.

“The way the game started for Aaliyah, I was really concerned that she was not going to be able to replicate what happened on Saturday, and I knew that we had to have her tonight,” Auriemma said. “I took her out a couple of times early in the game just to get her back into it, and I just think she was fabulous tonight … She completely took over long stretches of the game, and it opened up a whole lot of shots for our other guys.”