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Scouting report: UCLA women’s basketball vs UConn

(Rebekah Limb)

By Francis Moon

Dec. 10, 2021 1:19 p.m.

UCLA women’s basketball (5-2) is set to travel to Newark, New Jersey this weekend to face No. 3 Connecticut (5-2) on Saturday, which will be the first regular-season women’s college basketball game to air on ABC. Under coach Geno Auriemma, UConn is the most successful program in the history of women’s college basketball, boasting a record-high 11 national titles while the Bruins are still vying for their first. Against a depleted roster, UCLA will have a chance to get its first win against UConn – something it’s been unable to do in six all-time matchups, four of which coming with coach Cori Close on the sidelines. Here’s the scouting report from assistant Sports editor Francis Moon – who wishes he could be in his home state of New Jersey this weekend to watch this game in person.

Personnel:
Coach: Geno Auriemma
Starting lineup: G Evina Westbrook, G Christyn Williams, F Aaliyah Edwards, F Dorka Juhász, F Olivia Nelson-Ododa
Best Player: G Christyn Williams
X-Factor: G Caroline Ducharme

Stat Profile (through Dec. 8 games):
Points per game: 74.5 (61st)
Field goal percentage: 50.7% (2nd)
Points allowed per game: 61.2 (143rd)
Field goal percentage allowed: 37.1% (104th)

Since the minute she stepped foot on campus in Storrs, Connecticut, Paige Bueckers has been one of the faces of women’s college basketball.

Last season, the guard became the first player to win the AP Player of the Year Award as a freshman, while also bringing home the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy after leading UConn to its 13th straight Final Four. This year, the Minnesota native leads the Huskies with 21.2 points, 6.2 assists, 2.7 steals and 36.3 minutes per game while also ranking second on the team in rebounds and blocks with 5.5 and 0.8 per contest, respectively.

But with the sophomore sustaining a lower leg injury in the waning minutes of UConn’s win over Notre Dame on Dec. 5, Bueckers will miss the third game of her collegiate career Saturday against UCLA. The attention instead turns to Auriemma, who will be forced to adapt without the guard, who is set to miss six to eight weeks.

The Huskies will also be without forward Aubrey Griffin, guard Nika Mühl and 2021 No. 1 recruit guard Azzi Fudd, leaving them with just three healthy guards – Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook and Caroline Ducharme.

Williams has been a regular starter for UConn since her freshman season in 2018-2019, while Westbrook – a Tennessee transfer – has also started all 37 of her games as a Husky. Behind their combined 24.4 points and 6.4 assists per game, both have proved to be steady contributors for the Huskies and have each shown the ability to step up in the past.

Forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa has put up 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds a night in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 while starting all but one game. Though she has seen a slight dip in her counting stats through seven contests this year, she has posted a career-high 57.8% shooting percentage.

While Aaliyah Edwards has joined Bueckers as the only underclassman amongst the regular starters, the sophomore forward earned the spot after displaying a smooth transition to the collegiate level last year. She averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds on 68.9% from the field in 24 games and six starts, including UConn’s last four games of the 2020-2021 tournament.

In UConn’s first game without Bueckers on Thursday against Georgia Tech, Auriemma gave forward Dorka Juhász the start for the first time this season, though she was a regular starter for three years at Ohio State before transferring following last season. She recorded two points on 1-of-5 shooting and has posted 2.9 points per game in 17.3 minutes a contest this season.

The relative question mark for the Huskies will come from Ducharme, who was the first to come off the bench against the Yellow Jackets.

The freshman was the No. 5 player in her class but has experienced a relatively slow start to her collegiate career, scoring four points across 25 minutes in UConn’s first five games of the season. However, Ducharme flashed her potential against Notre Dame last week. She recorded 14 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc while also making an impact on the defensive end.

UConn needs someone to step up in the absence of Bueckers, and Ducharme has a strong chance to take advantage and continue her emergence as the only guard behind Williams and Westbrook.

Though the Huskies have more depth in the forward rotation, much of it is unproven or new to the team. Forward Amari DeBerry saw her first collegiate action Thursday, as the freshman put up four points and three rebounds and is the fourth player on the team to stand at 6-foot-5. Forward Mir McLean may see increased playing time as well, while forward Piath Gabriel is the only other Husky to have seen the court this season after playing two minutes in a blowout win over Minnesota.

Even with the shorthanded roster, it’s never a good call to count out Auriemma. Coach Cori Close has been bounced by the 37-year coach twice in the Sweet Sixteen in the past five years and has lost four head-to-head matchups by an average of 19.3 points.

By running a “Strong” half-court set, Auriemma’s offenses pride themselves on off-ball movement to create open looks for shooters, meaning the Bruins are still facing a dangerous offense even while missing its best playmaker.

UConn has shown the ability to overcome playing with a shallow bench, but it means it will have to limit its foul trouble while overcoming fatigue, particularly with UCLA having an extra four days of rest.

Against a Bruin team that has played the whole season with only seven or eight active players, the two teams will be on an even playing field, potentially giving Close her best chance yet to pull out a win over Auriemma.

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Francis Moon | Sports senior staff
Moon is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously an assistant Sports editor on the women's basketball, men's soccer, track and field and cross country beats and a contributor on the women's basketball and women's tennis beats, while also contributing for Arts. He is a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student.
Moon is currently a Sports senior staff writer. He was previously an assistant Sports editor on the women's basketball, men's soccer, track and field and cross country beats and a contributor on the women's basketball and women's tennis beats, while also contributing for Arts. He is a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student.
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