STORRS, Conn. — No Paige Bueckers, no Anna Makurat. No problem.
With the two members of their rotation out with injuries, No. 3 UConn (10-0, 8-0 Big East) still managed to steamroll visiting Georgetown, 72-41, Saturday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion.
Four UConn starters finished in double figures, led by Olivia Nelson-Ododa with 19 points. Aubrey Griffin earned her third straight start and finished with seven rebounds and 15 points — the fourth consecutive game she’s scored at least 10.
Evina Westbrook fell one assist short of a double-double (13 points, nine assists), while Christyn Williams chipped in 17.
Georgetown, one of the worst teams in the Big East, fell to 1-5.
Without Bueckers out with an ankle injury suffered against Tennessee, the Huskies’ offense stalled, and had difficulty getting the ball inside to their posts especially at the start of the game. But they were able to score 18 points off Georgetown turnovers and hit six 3-pointers to build their sizable first-half lead.
Makurat was listed as out indefinitely with an unspecified lower leg injury.
UConn used a 16-5 run to close the first quarter up 21-9. The Huskies then scored the first six points of the second before Georgetown hit its only basket of the frame at the 7:31 mark. UConn rattled off a 12-0 run to finish off the half and go into the break ahead 39-11.
Georgetown surpassed its first-half output six minutes into the second half, and scored 30 points in the final 20 minutes. UConn’s offense kept converting on its own end in the third, primarily through Nelson-Ododa. The junior forward scored 11 straight points for the Huskies to extend their advantage, which sat at 60-26 going into the final period.
A sluggish fourth quarter resulted in a 12-12 final period, though it didn’t matter much given UConn’s well-established edge.
