STORRS, Conn. — Prior to Tuesday’s game against DePaul, coach Geno Auriemma predicted that his UConn women’s basketball team would need to outperform the Blue Demons on the offensive end to come out with a win. With UConn’s defense a work in progress and DePaul’s defense its weak spot, that seemed like the most logical path toward victory.
The reality of the top-25 matchup in front of an fanless crowd at Gampel Pavilion was quite different. Fourth-ranked UConn stalled offensively but held No. 18 DePaul to a season-low 52 points to come out with a 75-52 win in its first game this season against a ranked opponent.
Freshman Paige Bueckers and junior Olivia Nelson-Ododa led UConn (6-0, 5-0 Big East) in scoring with 18 and 16 points, respectively, with the center also corralling 14 rebounds (seven offensive) and the point guard coming away with six rebounds and four steals. Freshman Aaliyah Edwards (11 points), junior Christyn Williams (14 points) and redshirt junior Evina Westbrook (10 points) also reached double figures.
DePaul (5-3, 2-1) dropped its third game of the season against a ranked opponent, previously losing to Texas A&M and Louisville.
The teams traded leads early on, with DePaul hitting four early 3s and Williams scoring her 1,000th career point not even two minutes into the game. UConn built a four-point cushion going into the second thanks to an 8-2 run to finish the period, with four points apiece from Westbrook and Nelson-Ododa.
The Huskies extended their lead to double figures at the 7:37 mark of the second period following a layup and free throw from Edwards, and following a late layup from Mir McLean they’d go into the break with a 38-27 advantage.
DePaul cut the deficit to six early in the third before Nelson-Ododa scored five straight points to get some breathing room. The Blue Demons hung around, but 11 combined points from Nelson-Ododa and Edwards allowed the Huskies to pull ahead by 14 going into the fourth.
The Blue Demons went scoreless for four minutes early in the final period, allowing UConn to score 10 unanswered points and put the game away.
UConn has an extended break before its next scheduled matchup, when it travels to Waco, Texas, to face No. 7 Baylor on Jan. 7.
Recent Husky alum and 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield was in attendance at Gampel and announced UConn’s starting lineup prior to the game.
