The College of Connecticut Huskies pressed, dominated the paint, ran in transition and shared the ball.
An excessive amount of UConn, an excessive amount of of the time.
The second-seeded Huskies led wire to wire with an environment friendly and punishing effort, cruising previous No. 15 Vermont for a 95-52 triumph in Saturday’s opening spherical of the NCAA Match at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.
Energy ahead Aaliyah Edwards was practically flawless, taking pictures 13 of 15 from the ground in a 28-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist, 4-steal outing, whereas frontcourt teammate Dorka Juhász produced a double-double of 15 factors and 10 rebounds to go together with six assists, three steals and three blocks to energy the Huskies (30-5).
“Clearly, it did not finish the way in which we needed, however that is a very proficient UConn crew,” Vermont coach Alisa Kresge stated. “However there’s some actually good issues that we will take from this sport and stuff that we’ll construct off of as we proceed to construct our program.”
UConn dominant from opening tip
UConn shot 61.9% from the ground (39 of 63), owned the rebounding edge (43-19) and held the Catamounts to 33.3% field-goal taking pictures.
Caroline Ducharme (12 factors, 5 boards) and Nika Mühl (9 factors, 10 assists) additionally contributed to UConn’s unselfish offense. The host Huskies assisted on 27 of their 39 made discipline targets, out-scored Vermont 54-10 within the paint and tallied 23 factors off Vermont turnovers.
extra:Protection, rebounding carries Vermont ladies’s basketball to the NCAA Match
Edwards’ 28 factors have been a profession excessive. She began the sport 10 of 10 from the sphere.
“I believe that we began the sport off very well and we hit ’em with the primary punch. I believe that in all probability from the leap ball, I knew personally, individually, that I’d have the ability to dominate inside, and I believe Dorka had her personal too,” Edwards stated. “I believe that we simply flowed collectively as a crew. I believe we had lots of assists as effectively all through the entire sport. I believe that we simply capitalized on each possession that we may.”
UConn is taking part in in its thirty fourth straight NCAA Match and is aiming for a fifteenth consecutive Remaining 4. The Huskies are 131-22 all-time in March Insanity and are 22-4 as a No. 2 seeds. Saturday’s win gave UConn coach Geno Auriemma his twenty sixth 30-win season with this system.
Catherine Gilwee leads Vermont in scoring
Former Champlain Valley Union Excessive Faculty star Catherine Gilwee paced the Catamounts with 14 factors and 5 assists. Her 4 3-pointers have been a sport excessive. Emma Utterback (13 factors, 4 assists) and Maria Myklebust (13 factors) additionally reached double figures for the America East champions.
The Huskies constructed a 27-12 lead after the primary quarter and rolled into halftime with a 53-20 benefit.
“Yeah, I’d say taking part in towards UConn the place all of the gamers are tremendous proficient they usually’re very athletic they usually’re large and robust,” Gilwee stated. “Clearly we do not have that athleticism to our benefit, so we bought to be tremendous locked in on all of our guidelines, all of our fundamentals on protection.”
extra:‘I am going to all the time root for Vermont’: UConn’s Morgan Valley faces residence state within the NCAA Match
Utterback stated the crew’s greatest takeaway was to “stay ourselves” in large strain video games.
“None of us have been in that have earlier than,” Utterback stated. “We performed Indiana earlier this yr, nevertheless it was each of our first video games, and March Insanity is totally totally different. It is a fully totally different ball sport.
“So we’ll return to the drafting board and we’ll work on this low season on staying true to ourselves when the strain comes and staying assured in what we carry to the desk.”
Vermont ladies had their finest season since reaching second spherical of 2010 NCAA Match
Vermont (25-7) had its longest successful streak (17 video games) in three many years. The Catamounts made the NCAA Match for the primary time since they reached the Spherical of 32 in 2010. And their regular-season America East championship was their first in 21 years.
“Yeah, effectively, you recognize, getting Vermont again to this stage is admittedly vital for the expansion of our program,” Kresge stated. “We speak so much about it. However we wish winners, and winners wish to come they usually wish to work onerous and they’ll do all the pieces they’ll of their energy to assist your program win.”
extra:Marquette stymies UVM males’s basketball at NCAA Match, ending Catamounts’ season
Auriemma praised Vermont in his post-game information convention.
“They’ve entry to lots of youngsters, worldwide or American youngsters, and I believe their teaching employees is super,” Auriemma stated. “I simply assume they’ve a way of who they’re, what they’re and what they wish to be and what they’ll do and what they can not do, they usually do not attempt to do issues they can not do.
“And so they’re very, excellent on the issues they’ll do. So when have you ever that going for you, you possibly can go fairly far”.
Contact Alex Abrami or [email protected] and comply with him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aabrami5.
This text initially appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont ladies’s basketball: UConn routs Catamounts in NCAA Match