No. 1 Connecticut is returning to Elite Eight for the 15th consecutive year with a 92-72 victory over No. 5 Iowa on Saturday at Sweet 16.
All eyes on the confrontation were on UConn freshman Paige Bueckers, finalist for the best player of the year award, and Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark, who led the country in goals in the regular season. Both stood out in their own ways – the Bueckers came close to a triple-double – but it was their teammates who had to work hard to get their team moving forward.
UConn juniors, Christyn Williams and Evina Westbrook, led the way along with Aaliyah Edwards, a strong freshman who is often overlooked alongside Bueckers. It came out hot for UConn in a tight first quarter and set the tone for an entire team effort.
The Huskies moved the ball, controlled the boards and won second chance points for a 15-point lead at halftime. Iowa interrupted, reaching a digit a few different times, but failed to turn off all of UConn’s offensive options.
Bueckers leads Huskies with assists
Bueckers is a point guard that passes first. These talents are why the great Diana Taurasi of UConn calls her “the best basketball player” and they were on display against Iowa.
The freshman scored four in the first half when UConn helped 17 of the 22 field goals. And she continued on Monday with the smooth dishes for which she became known.
When Iowa reduced to one digit, 74-65, at the start of the fourth Bueckers hit a score of 3 and replied that Gabbie Marshall of Iowa scored 3 with another of his own. Iowa was unable to approach again after that and it was all UConn, with Geno Auriemma back on the sidelines after a quarantine on COVID-19 at the end of the stretch.
Bueckers scored 18 points out of 7 out of 18 shots and was 2 out of 6 in the 3 point range. She did double surveillance in the final quarter and ended up with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Westbrook, a 6-foot junior transfer from Tennessee, came even closer to its own triple-double. She had 17 points in an efficient shot of 7 out of 9, including 3 out of 5 beyond the arc, and added 10 assists and nine rebounds with two steals.
Clark is not enough for Iowa
UConn can move the ball with ease, so Iowa’s poor defense would always be a problem. To move forward, the Hawkeyes would need the best game in Clark’s career.
The Huskies managed to keep it away from the start, forcing it to move away from their favorite way of creating a dribble and pitch shot. Clark was 2 in 11 in the first half and missed five of six attempts at 3 points.
But in the second half she brightened up to bring Iowa back.
Clark still reached 21 points, although he was far less efficient than she usually plays. She went 7-to-21 on the field, including 4-to-12 in the 3-point range. Junior Monika Czinano, Clark’s favorite target, scored 14 points with three rebounds. McKenna Warnock added 20 and hit three out of four points out of 3.
Christyn Williams leads the Huskies team effort
UConn controlled almost every facet of the game. The Huskies helped in 30 of the 40 field goals and were 54.8 percent of the shots. They hit the Hawkeyes 42-25 and had 14 second-chance points in the first half only.
It was a complete team effort to topple Iowa and Williams, the oldest member of the team, led the way. She lit up in the second quarter with 14 points and made 18 at halftime in 8 of 14 shots. At the end of the game, she led with 27 points out of 12 out of 23 shots and three points out of 3.
But without a doubt, the 5-foot-11 guard’s biggest contribution was to choke Clark at the top. The Iowa first-year star could not go out and make space against her and did not have such a clear view of teammates. The difference was a quiet Clark in the second quarter.
Edwards, one of UConn’s seven freshmen and a major defensive contributor with 6 feet-3, scored 18 points out of 9 out of 11 shots with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Olivia Nelson-Ododa, 1.80 meters, had only two buckets, but led the team on the tables with 11 and had seven assists, two steals and a block. Sophomores Aubrey Griffin and Anna Makurat scored six points and five rebounds off the bench.
Freshmen settle in after the first hectic time
The first few minutes were nervous and chaotic, as each team prepared for the most anticipated game of the weekend.
Edwards broke nearly two minutes and controlled the first quarter inside, while Westbrook fired beyond the arc. UConn kept the lead from 22-18 after the first quarter in which Clark (one of 3 points) and Bueckers (two jumpers in the final minute) were largely kept under control.
The Huskies jumped by 10 points, 36-26, in the middle of the second quarter in the blink of an eye, which may well be a trademark. It hovered around a 10-point deficit for the rest of the competition, although Iowa was seven in the middle of the third.
The Huskies went into the break, 49-35, with 17 assists in 22 goals scored and 26 rebounds against 12. Westbrook had 11 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Clark had seven points and made one of six three-point attempts. She had four of the team’s 11 assists.
Bueckers scored six points from 3-in-6 shots and made an impact in other ways. She had six rebounds and four assists until the break.
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