After Arizona handed Connecticut a humbling loss in last season’s Final Four, Geno Auriemma, the Huskies’ head coach, was blunt about his team’s level of maturity.
“When we’re high and when we’re on top of the world, we think everything’s great,” Auriemma said at the time. “And when things don’t go our way, there’s a pouty-ness about us. There’s a feeling sorry for ourselves about us that you don’t win championships when you’re like that unless you get lucky.”
Before Connecticut’s convincing 83-38 win over 15th-seeded Mercer in the first round of the tournament on Saturday, Auriemma said that his team was more experienced and more complete than it was last year, but that the Huskies, a No. Auriemma said that his team was more experienced and more complete than last year, but that the Huskies, a No. 2 seed, hadn’t yet faced enough adversity so it was hard to assess how much they had matured.
“Teams act really, really mature when the ball’s going in the basket,” he said. “It’s kind of funny about that, all right? And all of a sudden they become very immature when the ball’s not going in.”
Despite Mercer’s best efforts in the first quarter to keep the game close, Connecticut scored with ease with a balanced offensive attack, made easy buckets in transition and used its height advantage to dominate on offense and defense.
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Paige Bueckers was the reigning national player-of-the year. She had been limited in playing time in December after sustaining an anterior tibial plate fracture and lateral meniscus tear in the left knee. Bueckers was active on defense and offense, and averaged 14 minutes per game since her injury. She finished with 12 points. She also had 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Christyn Williams, the Huskies’ leading scorer with 14.6 points per game, led the team with 13 points.
One of the Huskies’ biggest strengths during their 10-game winning streak has been defense, which has improved after a handful of players missed games with various injuries.
Mercer’s season-low point total was 23.2 percent. The Huskies’ full court press forced several Mercer turnovers. Connecticut scored 23 points despite 21 Mercer mistakes.
Connecticut has won 11 N.C.A.A. Titles under Auriemma were won by Connecticut eleven times, the last one being in 2016.
The Huskies struggled at times this season, but many believe their depth and defense could be enough to hoist the championship trophy and atone for several seasons of disappointing finishes — disappointing, at least, by their standards.
Ayoka Lee is the No. 9 Kansas State in her first tournament win.
The coronavirus pandemic may have delayed the postseason ambitions of Ayoka Lee, Kansas State’s 6-foot-6 center, for two years, but no longer. No. 8-seeded Washington State defeated Lee in a hard-fought defensive match. They won 50-40 and denied the Cougars their first tournament victory in program history.
Washington State led by seven at halftime. This was a significant lead considering the score of 24-17. Lee had made a single field goal, while Washington State’s Leger-Walker sisters, Krystal and Charlisse, had combined for 19 points. Both crafty guards, the New Zealand natives appeared in control early and capitalized on the Wildcats’ slow pace.
Lee’s attempts to contain her had led to the Cougars in foul trouble. She was eventually able to help Kansas State take control of the pace, and the scoreboard. Her quick release and deft rebounding make her a formidable threat to any team that allows for her to play inside. The Cougars’ center Bella Murekatete, who typically averages 10 points and seven rebounds per game, was held scoreless and grabbed just three rebounds.
The matchup was so low scoring that when the Wildcats led by more than five points, it felt like the game was over. Lee finished the game with 20 points and 15 rebounds, numbers that offer a glimpse of the kind of authoritative play she is capable of — and that the Wildcats will need as they try to make it to the round of 16 for the first time in 20 years.
Source: NY Times
