CHICAGO _ Five days after staging a comeback with a depleted roster, the No. 1 UConn women's basketball had its full lineup of All-Americans as it visited DePaul Friday night.
Katie Lou Samuelson, who turned her ankle and was on the bench during UConn's fourth-quarter charge against Notre Dame, was back and making shots. And Gabby Williams, who sat in the second half because of a migraine, was her usual high-energy self at both ends of the court.
The result was predictable: UConn 103, DePaul 69.
Facing the Blue Demons (6-3) at the new Wintrust Arena, the Huskies (8-0) were efficient as they overwhelmed the home team. UConn had six players in double figures, led by Samuelson's 20 points.
Crystal Dangerfield had 18 points, converting 6 of 7 3-point attempts. Napheesa Collier had 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Azura Stevens had 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Kia Nurse had 13 points, and Williams had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
The victory was the 999th for UConn coach Geno Auriemma. The Huskies are off until Dec. 19, when they face Oklahoma in the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Batouly Camara, a transfer from Kentucky, saw her first action as she entered the game with 3 minutes, 55 seconds remaining. Camara, a sophomore, injured her knee in October and was unable to play in the first seven games.
In preparing for DePaul, Auriemma said it was important for his team to not get caught up in the craziness. How's this for crazy: DePaul subbed all five starters out for five reserves just 2:12 into the game, even though the Blue Demons were leading 8-6.
As expected, DePaul set a frantic pace and shots lots of 3-pointers. Doug Bruno's team is among the leaders in the nation in 3-point attempts and they followed the same playbook against UConn, attempting 23 in the first half.
They converted seven and shot 34.2 percent overall in the first half. DePaul was running and pressing, but UConn kept control of the game through most of the half.
It was 17-13 in the first quarter when Dangerfield hit consecutive 3-pointers before Stevens' jumper made it 25-13. That spurt was part of a14-2 run that extended the lead to 15.
The Huskies led 33-20 at the end of the first quarter, as Nurse had 10 points while Collier had nine points and six rebounds.
And after DePaul opened the second quarter with a basket, UConn reeled off 10 unanswered points on a run punctuated by a Nurse's 3-pointer. Later, UConn's 16-point lead swelled from an 11-0 run that began with consecutive 3-pointers by Dangerfield before Samuelson delivered five points with a basket and a three-point play.
It was 61-38 at halftime, as five Huskies were in double figures and UConn had 21 assists.
