UConn women’s basketball forward Dorka Juhász finally puts it all together vs. UCLA

Entering the 2021-22 season, Dorka Juhász was perhaps the most intriguing player on the UConn women’s basketball roster. A graduate transfer from Ohio State, Juhász came to Storrs as a two-time All-Big Ten player and three-year starter for the Buckeyes.

She was expected to not just add depth to the Huskies’ front court but help them stretch the floor with her proven outside shooting, a skillset UConn’s other bigs hadn’t yet demonstrated.

It has taken some time for Juhász to find her footing — it didn’t help that she missed much of the preseason with a pulled muscle in her thigh — but if the 6-foot-5 forward from Pecs, Hungary can play with the confidence and poise she had in No. 3 UConn’s 71-61 victory over UCLA, she could be a key piece in helping the Huskies win without star player Paige Bueckers.

After recording 34 double-doubles at Ohio State, Juhász posted her first as a Husky on Saturday, finishing with a season-best 16 points on perfect shooting from the field (5-for-5, 1-for-1 on 3s) and a team-high 16 rebounds. It was the first time Juhász cracked double figures in scoring at UConn (her previous season-best was six). It was also the second time in four games that she had at least 10 rebounds.

“It’s not easy for her to come in after playing three years in a different system and then coming here and having to try to adjust to what we’re doing,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Even now, it’s not 100% there, obviously, but little by little. I hope today was an indication of what she can be.”

If all goes to plan, this could be the corner Juhász turns to emerge as the player Auriemma envisioned her being. The coach was high on Juhász entering the season, describing her as potentially “the difference that puts us into that other level.” But entering this weekend, the forward had played a subdued role in the Huskies’ season, averaging just 2.9 points on 33% shooting and 4.4 rebounds off the bench.

Auriemma liked how hard she played and what she could bring on the defensive end, but she struggled with her offensive output, oftentimes playing too rushed.

“Obviously, it’s a different environment,” Juhász said. “In the summer, I came in, had to make some adjustments, the intensity level, everything, just keep learning from coach, from my teammates and just keep moving up and making extra steps every single time.”

But with the likes of Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Nika Mühl and Aubrey Griffin out and sophomore starter Aaliyah Edwards struggling, UConn has been desperate for anyone to step up. Juhász took advantage. Auriemma inserted her into the starting lineup against Georgia Tech and kept her there against UCLA, where she ultimately played a season-high 29 minutes.

Against UCLA, Juhász’s confidence on offense was apparent early. Midway through the second quarter, Juhász was left open on the perimeter and took a shot right inside the 3-point line for the score. She really got going in the third, scoring the first five points to initiate the Huskies’ 16-4 run to close the quarter and retake the lead. She got to the free-throw line before popping out onto the perimeter, where the Bruins dared her to shoot again and she knocked down a 3, just her fifth attempt from the arc on the season. Her defensive rebound on the next possession led to Evina Westbrook’s transition basket that put UConn ahead for good.

In the fourth, she helped the Huskies pull away. On one play, she took advantage of UCLA’s defenders having their backs to her, cutting to the low block so Westbrook could hit her for a layup. She crashed the glass from the perimeter to score off a putback, made some heads-up defensive plays to come away with two steals and positioned herself perfectly under the basket for freshman Caroline Ducharme to find her off a drive.

Turnovers have still been an issue at times — she had five versus South Carolina and four on Saturday. Typically, those are from unforced errors, happening as a result of her playing too rushed or when she’s trying to do too much. Juhász should be able to slow down the more she gets comfortable with UConn’s system.

“The one thing that gets in Dorka’s way more than anything is she tries to play too fast and then her skills run away from her,” Auriemma said. “I thought today she had a pretty good pace about her.”

In the meantime, she still plays with an energy and hustle that allow her to come up with rebounds and increasingly make it a net-positive to have her on the court.

“She always plays with a certain intensity level and a certain strength,” Auriemma said. “She’s a force out there.”

The key moving forward is for Juhász to have this sort of impact consistently, even if it doesn’t look like 16 and 16 each night. With Bueckers out for an extended period of time, and the others potentially not returning until after the holidays, Juhász will continue to be looked upon to be a force down low.

To do that, Juhász wants to use the confidence she gained from such an effective offensive showing Saturday and build off that for the rest of the season. The end result could entail more outside shooting, better efficiency inside, consistent productivity on the glass and even stronger defense.

“I’ve just got to have the same mindset every single game,” Juhász said. “I feel like my confidence is going to get there. I just want to help the team in whatever way I can, my rebounding, defense, offense, whenever they need me. That’s going to be the plan for the whole season.”

Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com