SOUTH ORANGE, Conn. _ One of Geno Auriemma's core messages to his team this season has been that you never know when you're going to be called upon to step up in a game; you just have to be ready for it.
That message rings true for, perhaps more than anyone else this year, senior Molly Bent. Despite entering the season with the least amount of playing time for a returner (besides currently injured Batouly Camara) Bent was tabbed to start the last two games as starting point guard Crystal Dangerfield sat out with a back issue.
Sure, the UConn offense experienced some ups and downs in those two games. But the Huskies remained undefeated, learned how to operate without Dangerfield and Bent showed that she was more than capable of stepping in, something that can only help the Huskies once Dangerfield returns to action.
"I like what happened in (Dangerfield's) absence," Auriemma said., "we were able to find some pieces that I didn't think we had. Molly really handled herself well these last two games."
With UConn down to nine available players until Camara returns, Auriemma has had to rely on his relatively inexperienced bench more than usual. Beyond playing his freshmen early and often, senior Kyla Irwin, who averaged 10.3 minutes per game last year, is seeing a career-high 20.9 minutes per game and has started three of UConn's seven contests, including the last two.
Bent wasn't far behind Irwin in being tapped to play meaningful minutes in bigger games. Bent, who earned her first career start and played a career-high 31 minutes against Dayton the Nov. 26, says that watching Irwin do what was asked of her actually helped her when it was time for her to do the same.
"Just seeing her do that, that was so great for me," Bent said. "It definitely gave me confidence and calmed me down, seeing how she was playing _ she wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary for her, we see her do that every day. And so watching her just do her thing, then I knew that I could go out there and just play in my role, and that'd be okay."
Bent tallied four points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists, and three turnovers against Dayton before making even more of an impact in the matchup at Seton Hall. She had a career-high 10 points, which included two three-pointers and a few takes off the drive, making her the fourth-leading scorer of the evening behind Megan Walker, Aubrey Griffin, and Christyn Williams. The senior also added three assists and four rebounds, while only turning over the ball once in 27 minutes.
But Bent is not so much fixated on these careers highs. She described having to play so much as "bittersweet" because it meant that Dangerfield could not, though she does feel that her game has benefited by playing extended minutes over the last week.
"I think just being able to go out there and not think about it," Bent said. "A lot of times, I get out there, I'm overthinking things. I need to get these guys the ball, and I don't shoot when I'm open. Being able to get these extended minutes has gotten me a little more comfortable with my role and knowing what the team needs from me."
While UConn's offense hummed against Dayton, Seton Hall's defense gave the Huskies more of a challenge. UConn only ended up assisting 53% of its shots, the team's lowest mark since the season opener against Cal. The Huskies still managed to shoot well (52 percent) and used its height advantage to rebound 53% of its misses, leading to 17 second-chance points.
Auriemma told reporters after the game that he is fairly confident Dangerfield will be ready to play Sunday when the team takes on rival Notre Dame. He admitted having to rely on Bent over the last two games may pay dividends for the team down the road, as she was given more game reps playing point that should allow her to more smoothly step in later in the season if and when Dangerfield needs a break.
"It's not easy controlling the offense, I've got to tell you," Bent said. "When (Dangerfield's) out on the floor, you have to worry about your whole team, but first and foremost, you have to worry about yourself. When she's not out there, you can't be thinking about yourself _ all of us _ we had to think about each other more, because we knew that my talent is not as great as her talent, and so they needed to think about me and I needed to think about them.
"It just made us grow as a team, just being aware of the strengths of our teammates, and how to help each other out when you don't have the talent and the leadership with Crystal out on the court."
