The UConn women’s basketball team clinched the Big East Tournament title for the fourth consecutive year on Monday since their return to the conference, overpowering Georgetown with a 78-42 win. The victory was a testament to the team's resilience this season, after playing the championship game with just seven players, and navigating a tournament that tested their roster depth.
Head coach Geno Auriemma expressed immense pride in his team's ability to muster the necessary energy and focus, particularly in the wake of injuries that left the roster depleted.
“These have been three pretty interesting days to say the least,” Auriemma said, per Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant. “The energy that it took to finish this off was really pretty remarkable, to see our players summon up that energy today after what happened yesterday. It took a lot, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. They acted like they could have played another 40 minutes if they had to. You knew that they were committed to, ‘We’re going to do whatever we have to do.'”
Paige Bueckers, Nika Muhl contribute to Huskies' victory
The team's senior leaders, Paige Bueckers and Nika Muhl, were pivotal in UConn's success, with both delivering standout performances throughout the tournament. Bueckers' contribution was highlighted by her scoring 27 points in the final, which played a crucial role in securing her second Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player award.
“Every time you win it’s a different story … but for me personally, this might be the most special one,” Muhl said. “Not just because it’s my last but also because we’ve been dealt the worst cards ever, and we just never stopped believing in ourselves … We just fed off each other, and that’s because we trust each other and we have been put in bad situations so many times over and over again. I don’t think there’s anybody out there more prepared for situations like this than us.”
Ice Brady steps up in absence of Aaliyah Edwards
One of the more heartening stories of the tournament was that of redshirt freshman Ice Brady, who stepped up in the absence of star forward Aaliyah Edwards. Brady's exceptional performance, particularly her ability to stay on the court for all 40 minutes and and contribute 12 points, was a silver lining. Auriemma praised Brady's growth, hoping the tournament would boost her confidence.
“Ice is her own worst critic, her own worst enemy, and these three days hopefully gave Ice the confidence that she can play at this level and compete with anyone that she has to compete with and she can contribute to us winning,” Auriemma said. “I hope this feels so good and she’s so proud of herself that she’ll want to keep experiencing this going forward. When Aaliyah does come back, we have more good players on our team than before Aaliyah got hurt. That’s for sure.”
The Huskies' defensive power was on full display, preventing Georgetown, the conference's leading scoring offense, from scoring for over 14 minutes across two games. This defensive lockdown, coupled with a fluid and dynamic offense that saw UConn women's basketball hit a series of 3-pointers to counter Georgetown's attempts at a comeback.
Follow Us
Subscribe