STORRS, Conn. – UConn’s third women’s basketball team (13-1, 11-0 BIG EAST) faces their toughest showdown of the season, as the Huskies receive second place from South Carolina (15-1, 10-0 SEC) on Monday at 19h. The game will air on FS1 and ESPN 97-9.
UConn comes from an 87-58 victory at Marquette last Friday. Freshmen Paige Bueckers led the Huskies with 30 points while the juniors Christyn Williams added 18. Bueckers set a season record six three points and went 12-to-18 off the field. In her third early career, freshman Nika Mühl scored eight points, seven rebounds, nine assists and five steals. UConn made 27 assists in 35 field goals against the Golden Eagles.
Bueckers leads UConn in points, assists, steals and percentage of three-point field goals. She has averaged 27.8 points in her last four games and hit 76.0 percent in three (19 to 25) in that period. Bueckers scored 32 and 30 points in the last two games, respectively, becoming UConn’s first freshman with consecutive 30-point games.
UConn is 8-1 of all time against South Carolina. The Gamecocks won their first game in the series, 70-52, last season in Columbia, SC
South Carolina have won 12 consecutive games, including a 77-58 win over Auburn last Thursday. Zia Cooke leads the Gamecocks with 15.8 points per game. Aliyah Boston averages 14.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. South Carolina ranks second nationally in blocks per game (7.4) and third in rebounds per game (50.31). Coach Dawn Staley is in her 13th season.
South Carolina is the third SEC team the Huskies will face this season. UConn won a 67-61 victory over No. 25 Tennessee on January 21 and fell to No. 19 Arkansas, 90-87, on January 28.