Texas the latest to crack UConn women’s long record of dominance, beating the Huskies 80-68
AUSTIN, Texas — It’s hard to imagine, if one were to close their eyes to anything but the UConn name, the UConn history or the UConn brand in women’s basketball.
But the realities of the roster have opened opponents’ eyes to the fact the Huskies are no longer wearing the armor of invincibility.
Texas, which had lost 10 previous meetings, became the latest in a growing number of programs to savor a first win ever over UConn, leading wire to wire to win 80-68 at the Moody Center Sunday in a game televised nationally by ABC.
“How ’bout them Horns?” Texas coach Vic Schaefer chortled for fans, taking the mic after the final buzzer.
Rori Harmon, who was out injured when Texas lost at Gampel Pavilion a little over a year ago, was the clear difference maker this time, with 27 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and a relentless defensive effort. The Huskies (4-3) are ranked 11th, but sure to fall when the new AP poll comes out Monday. Texas, ranked 10th, looked far more than one spot better in this head-to-head matchup, jumping out to a 15-3 lead, UConn, trailing by as much as 18 along the way, never getting closer than five, making the final score deceptively close in the fourth quarter.
And while one could chalk the Huskies struggles to injuries, it’s hard to imagine, as good a shooter as Azzi Fudd is, or as good as Caroline Ducharme could be at her best, that they could have changed the outcome of this game, or the loss to UCLA last week in the Cayman Islands. Texas, in Harmon and Madison Booker (20 points) particular, just appeared to have the best players on the floor. The Longhorns (8-0) outrebounded UConn for much of the game, and turned 21 UConn turnovers into 36 points
Most telling, Texas took 24 more shots from the floor than UConn.
Aaliyah Edwards led UConn with 22 points, going 9 for 10 from the floor, but she had only five rebounds. Paige Bueckers, bottled up much of the game by Texas’ aggressive defense, was 4 for 10 for 13, Nika Muhl 4-for-4 for nine points. But the Huskies 3-point game, 4-for-10, continued to be to little a factor.
The Huskies play Ball State at home on Wednesday, then North Carolina and Louisville, two more ranked teams, in Connecticut in December, so the road back up the rankings will be hard, and hardly clear.
The Longhorns hit their first seven shots from the floor and opened up a 15-3 lead. The Huskies, unable to get open looks or drive the lane, again looked discombobulated on offense. But after taking such a big first punch, UConn did punch back. Aaliah Edwards scored eight early points, and when Texas began to miss, Buckers got a couple of buckets, one a 3-pointer, to cut the lead down to five, at 19-14. There the Huskies began to sputter again, and they ended the quarter down 23-15.
The Huskies hung in for most of the second quarter, but Texas began to press and re-established its double-digit lead. By the half, Harmon had 14 points and her team led 41-27, with a 17-4 edge in points off turnovers.
Although Edwards continued to score in the paint for UConn, they couldn’t get much of anything else on offense, and were giving up too many second chances on the boards. The Huskies couldn’t get any traction until very late, wen they pulled within six.
