The Villanova Wildcats welcomed the UConn Huskies to Finneran Pavilion on Sunday afternoon for a game that UConn eventually won but not without a terrible scare, the kind that we’ve seen before.
With just over a minute left in the third quarter, Paige Bueckers collided with Jasmine Bascoe of Villanova while going for a loose ball. Bueckers lay on the floor in obvious pain, grasping at her left knee. After a couple of minutes, she got up and on her own power walked off the court and headed to the locker room. She returned to the bench a few minutes later, with her knee and ankle wrapped in ice. She did not return to the game.
Afterward, coach Geno Auriemma addressed what happened to Bueckers:
“We had someone at the scorer’s table ready to check in. But she’ll be fine. She looks good. I’m optimistic, let’s put it that way.”`
The game got off to something of a slow start, but not like in previous UConn games. Sarah Strong and Jana El Alfy were responsible for the first nine points for UConn, but Villanova kept it close, tying the game at 9 with a three-point shot by Ryan Allen. But Bueckers and Strong each hit a three, and with a pair of free throws and a layup by KK Arnold, the Huskies opened it up to 21-13.
HUSKIES WIN@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ooUh3tT8xn
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 5, 2025
Villanova scored on a jumper by Bronagh Power-Cassidy, a jumper by Jasmine Bascoe, and a layup by Denae Carter with 0:59 to go got the Wildcats to 21-15. Bueckers hit a jumper with 0:03 left to end the quarter 23-15. That was as close as Villanova would get.
UConn Maintained Control Versus Villanova
UConn outscored the Wildcats 20-9 in the second quarter and went into halftime leading 43-14. Leading Villanova scorer Bascoe was held to four first-half points. Sarah Strong scored 10 of her game leading 21 points in the first quarter. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 40-28 in the second half, with Bascoe scoring another eight points.
The only other double-digit scorer for the Wildcats was Carter with 10. Aside from Strong, Bueckers and Arnold each scored 15. UConn held Villanova to 33.3% shooting while going 59.3%. The UConn bench scored 32 points while the Wildcats scored only 9.
On the positive side, El Alfy, along with Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell, are demonstrating why they could be seeing more minutes. After a missed layup in the beginning, El Alfy showed a lot more confidence as the game went on. Both Cheli and Ziebell are starting to look less like freshmen, ready to contribute when called upon. Arnold is quickly becoming a driving force, whose shooting repertoire now includes shooting the three.
Azzi Fudd is getting back to form, and Ice Brady is showing more consistency. While there is still no word about the return of Aubrey Griffin or Caroline Ducharme, the Huskies seem to be gaining some momentum after their losses to Notre Dame and USC. Hopefully, Bueckers will be available sooner rather than later.
Up next for Villanova is a game at Georgetown on Wednesday. UConn heads home for a game Wednesday against visiting Xavier.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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