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Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) played only 8:27 out of 50 minutes tonight but
@UConnWBB
would have never won without her. What an impact the sophomore guard made.
Gabby Williams finishes her
@UConnWBB
career with 1.582 points, 1.007 rebounds (7th in 1,000/1,000 club), 482 assists, 305 steals, 103 blocked shots. The only other in UConn history with more than 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 300 steals, 100 blocks: Maya Moore.
Yeah, sure Aaliyah Edwards could have been called for foul on Carrington's shot, but how many times did Baylor grab, hold, and hit Paige Bueckers with nothing called?
@UConnWBB
advances
The way the referees called the
@UConnWBB
Elite Eight game against Baylor, like it or not, it stayed consistent for the whole 40 minutes and didn't change in the last five seconds ...
Geno on why
@UConnWBB
didn't recruit Caitlin Clark: If she wanted to come "she would've called me and said, 'Coach I really want to come to UConn.' Neither of us lost out. She made best decision for her and it's worked out great. We made the decision we thought we needed to make"
.
@UConnWBB
freshman Paige Bueckers received 21 votes for AP Player of the Year. Others receiving votes: Dana Evans (Louisville) 4, Rhyne Howard (Kentucky) 2, Naz Hillmon (Michigan), Charli Collier (Texas) and Caitlin Clark (Iowa) 1 apiece.
Geno Auriemma told us before
@UConnWBB
practice that today is the 58th anniversary of him, his mother, and his brother and sister arriving in America (New York) after an 11-day voyage on a ship from Italy. His father had come over earlier to work.
#TheAmericanDream
With her third NCAA regional Most Outstanding Player honor in three tournaments,
@PaigeBueckers1
joins Maya Moore (
@MooreMaya
) (4, 2008-11), Breanna Stewart (
@breannastewart
) (3, 2013, 2015-16) and Diana Taurasi (3, 2001, 2003-04) as
@UConnWBB
players to win at least three.
Senior center Olivia Nelson-Ododa (
@OliviaKNelson
) has reached plateaus of 1,000 points (1,104), 750 rebounds (826), 250 assists (293), and 250 blocked shots (251). Four others have done that with
@UConnWBB
-- Napheesa Collier, Stefanie Dolson, Rebecca Lobo, and Breanna Stewart
After watching that first quarter, how can you not have a total appreciation of the job
@UConnWBB
senior Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) did defensively Friday night?
#MarchMadnessWBB
Paige Bueckers had her doctor appointment today and Geno said the
@UConnWBB
guard “is right on schedule” as she works her way back from left knee surgery
This summer
@UConnWBB
will have a European trip with a stop for Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) in her hometown of Zagreb, Croatia: "After the tournament I'll be thinking about places I can take my girls," she said. "It's super-exciting to bring my family here to meet my first family."
Geno: "I don’t think when they announce the NCAA tournament they go, ‘1st round, 2nd round & the regionals will be these 15 teams and UConn.’ We still have to play our way in and 28 times in a row we’ve done that. If it was easy, people would be doing that all the time”
@UConnWBB
Dorka Juhász (
@Dorkajuhasz14
) underwent successful surgery to repair a fracture of her left wrist on Wednesday.
@UConnWBB
also announces she will return to UConn for the 2022-23 season and use her final year of collegiate eligibility.
Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) said she learned when she left Sunday's win she set a
@UConnWBB
single-game mark of 15 assists: “Paige told me I broke the UConn record. I was like, ‘Oh, didn’t you hold the UConn record? So I broke your record!’ That was what I was happy about the most”
.
@UConnWBB
sophomore Paige Bueckers (
@PaigeBueckers1
) named regional Most Outstanding Player for second straight year. Joined on all-regional team by Christyn Williams and Azzi Fudd, NC State's Elissa Cunane, Notre Dame's Olivia Miles.
Says
@UConnWBB
guard Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
): “It doesn’t matter to me if I start or if I don’t get in until the last minute. I’m going to bring energy to the team. If I’ve changed the atmosphere for the better when I get on the court, I’ve done my job" ...
Geno on
@UConnWBB
facing D-2
@FHSUWBB
“It’s worth playing just to see the look on their faces when they walk into Gampel, when they play our guys, when they score over Paige because she won’t put her hand up on defense. They (say) ‘She can’t guard me' and they're probably right"
Well, former
@UConnWBB
guard
@MuhlNika
played the final 6:03 of
@seattlestorm
90-66 win over Phoenix. She didn't get her first career points, but did contribute three assists, a rebound, and a steal
Per
@UConnWBB
--
@paigebueckers1
has been cleared to return to game action and will suit up for the Huskies’ game vs. St. John’s on Friday at the XL Center.
A Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) fast fact: In her first two seasons with
@UConnWBB
Nika had 149 assists in 56 games over 1,280 minutes. As a junior, Nika has 154 assists in 17 games over 597 minutes.
“It takes a toll on you when you’re playing basketball and you’re not yourself,"
@UConnWBB
guard Caroline Ducharme said. "I’ve felt like a shell of myself much of the year. I’m still not where I want to be but it’s a good start to the tournament.” ...
Asked Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) why she still chose
@UConnWBB
a week after No. 1 recruit and guard
@paigebueckers1
committed in 2019: "That's a great question. I've never gotten that question before." The answer and much more from the
#Huskies
point guard ...
Quick stat as Geno Auriemma hits 1,200 wins with
@UConnWBB
… When he won his 200th game on Jan. 2, 1995, his record was 200-81. Since his record is 1,000-79. 🐐
With 284 assists in 36 games, Nika Mühl (
@MuhlNika
) is first
@UConnWBB
player to average 6.0 assists in a season finishing at 7.9, 2 per game better than Sue Bird's mark of 5.923 in 2002. Mühl will finish 2nd nationally in assists, the best showing for a Husky in that category.
And Nika Muhl (
@MuhlNika
) is first
@UConnWBB
player in program history with double-figure assists in 3 straight games. Jennifer Rizzotti the only other with 2
The USBWA announces that its Women’s National Coach of the Year award will be named for Geno Auriemma at the conclusion of his coaching career at
@UConnWBB
Reminder about former
@UConnWBB
two-time national champ and All-American
@gabbywilliams15
-- in 2012 at age 15 she took part in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials and finished fifth in the high jump there.
Some news from Seattle looking to next season:
@UConnWBB
and
@LouisvilleWBB
have agreed to a four-year deal for a home-and-home series. It will begin in 2023-24 with the Huskies hosting the Cardinals.
Geno on the sold-out crowd at XL Center for
@UConnWBB
game vs. Marquette: "During one of our runs I turned to JJ (assistant Jamelle Elliott) and said, 'This is like the old days.' " He appreciated the fans didn't get down and helped rally team after Huskies fell into 10-0 hole.
ICYMI:
@UConnWBB
says farewell to Dorka Juhasz, Lou Lopez Senechal. "We’re going to miss their leadership," Caroline Ducharme said Saturday. "They didn’t deserve to go out this way. We all let them down tonight and that’s going to hurt for awhile.” ...
Caroline Ducharme (
@c_ducharme3
) becomes seventh
@UConnWBB
freshman to be named to all-conference first or second team joining Maya Moore and Paige Bueckers (who were first team) along with Svetlana Abrosimova, Tina Charles, Bria Hartley, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.
Her college coach Geno Auriemma will be one of five presenters for former
@UConnWBB
star Swin Cash (
@SwinCash
) when she is inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame next month. The others: Tamika Catchings, Teresa Weatherspoon, Tina Thompson, and Isiah Thomas.
First quick fact for today: When Indiana graduate student guard Ali Patberg started college (at Notre Dame),
@UConnWBB
freshman Azzi Fudd was in the seventh grade.
.
@NovaWBB
coach Denise Dillon becomes 2nd woman to beat
@UConnWBB
as a player and as a head coach, joining South Carolina's Dawn Staley. She was on last Wildcats' team to beat Huskies on their home court in 1993.
Former
@UConnWBB
star Diana Taurasi on taking a shot at a seventh Olympic gold medal in 2028 with
@USABasketball
in Los Angeles, less than an hour's drive from Chino where she grew up: "In LA, I'll be in my Manhattan Beach house chilling out."
You know, Geno likes to tell the story how
@PaigeBueckers1
says she's the best defender
@UConnWBB
has. To be honest, she's actually the best defender in the
@BIGEASTWBB
And
@UConnWBB
freshman guard Azzi Fudd is named to Big East weekly honor roll. She averaged a team-high 15.3 points in wins over Marquette, St. John’s, and Providence for Big East regular-season champion Huskies.
Geno on two of his former
@UConnWBB
stars ... On Diana Taurasi: "Diana is Diana. No one else will ever be." Geno on
@gabbywilliams15
- "Gabby was spectacular. She's improved each and every year and she willed France today." Story from
@maggie_vanoni
...
Paige Bueckers on the XL Center floor stretching and about to go through warmups with her
@UConnWBB
teammates with tip off against St. John's an hour away. Now we'll wait and see -- will Geno start her or bring her off the bench?
Quick note: senior Christyn Williams becomes the 14th
@UConnWBB
player to be named to a postseason all-tournament team in all four of her seasons as she is named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big East tournament
24 points for Azzi Fudd, 21 for Dorka Juhasz, 15 off bench for Evina Westbrook in
@UConnWBB
win over Marquette. Nika Muhl did not score but had six rebounds and six assists to just one turnover.
Yes, she loves basketball. But
@UConnWBB
senior All-American Katie Lou Samuelson (
@33katielou
) also loves to read, and she shared that love with some area second and third graders this week.
Caroline will be eligible for a medical redshirt and retain two years of eligibility. She is the fifth
@UConnWBB
player lost for the season due to injury
The four injured
@UConnWBB
players -- Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Dorka Juhasz, and Ice Brady -- are standing under the basket talking. Give them a decent 3-point shooter for a fifth and Geno gets them to the Final Four
Last time
@UConnWBB
was .500 this late into the season was nine years ago after an overtime loss at Stanford left it at 1-1 on Nov. 17, 2014.
#Huskies
responded then by winning their next 111 games.
The
@UConnWBB
trip to Europe will begin with a stop in Nika Muhl's hometown of Zagreb, Croatia.
#Huskies
will then go to Slovenia before finishing up in Italy.
Nice surprise after Connecticut Sun game today! Ran into
@UConnWBB
three-time All-American Svetlana Abrosimova, who was at Mohegan Sun Arena with her twin 7-year-old daughters outside Phoenix Mercury locker room waiting for ex-teammate Diana Taurasi
.
@UConnWBB
Class of 2022 signee Ayanna Patterson named to Naismith High School All-America first team; Fellow 2022 signee Ice Brady a third-team pick; Class of 2023 commit Ashlynn Shade honorable mention.
.
@UConnWBB
senior Christyn Williams is a regional finalist for the WBCA All-America team. There are 52 regional finalists for the 10-player WBCA team.
Paige Bueckers (
@PaigeBueckers1
) had 11 blocked shots in 1,049 minutes as a freshman, 11 blocked shots in 497 minutes as a sophomore, and now 11 blocked shots in 272 minutes this season for
@UConnWBB
Geno Auriemma (
@GenoAjustsayin
) on
@UConnWBB
qualifying for NCAA Tournament for the 30th consecutive season: "Somebody must have done it in the past. It's not like we're the first ones to do it. There have been other people that have been bad for women's basketball before us."
Aaliyah Edwards reached the 1,000-point plateau for
@UConnWBB
and her 25 points today gives her 1,005. Lou Lopez Senechal had 19 points and is at 1,999 points for her career at Fairfield and at UConn.
That’s
@UConnWBB
legend Diana Taurasi (along with Ariel Atkins) getting shots up as Thursday’s workout at
@usabasketball
camp wrapped up at the Cavaliers’ practice facility
Sure Katie Lou Samuelson (
@33katielou
) moved into a tie with Maya Moore for third all-time at
@UConnWBB
with 311 3-pointers. But if you think she just shoots, think again. She also moved into the Huskies' top 25 in assists with 341.
Starting in 1994,
@UConnWBB
has won a conference regular season title, a conference tournament title, or the national championship in 28 consecutive seasons.
-
@UConnWBB
coach Geno on Nov. 28 2018: “We’re going to get good players. They might be now or later, they might be here or overseas, they may be anywhere. But we’re going to have a bunch of good players here next year. That’s for sure. I’m not worried about that.” How's he doing?
Quick note:
@UConnWBB
junior Molly Bent got a perfect 4.0 GPA during the Fall 2018 semester. In her time at
#UConn
her only non-A was a B-plus in a freshman English course. At this point I'm thinking that the issue is with that English professor and not Molly.
Nika Mühl (
@MuhlNika
) played 40 minutes for
@UConnWBB
for 12th time this season Saturday. Her average minutes (36.6) is most in a season at UConn - Paige Bueckers was at 36.2 in 2021 - and her 1,316 total minutes trails only Crystal Dangerfield's 1,327 (in 2 more games) in 2019