UNCASVILLE, Conn. _ The UConn women defeated Vanderbilt, 80-42, on Saturday in the Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Playing in their second game of the regular season, the Huskies proved to be too much for Vanderbilt. Behind a strong first-half performance from the starters, the Huskies got out to a sizable lead that they were able to keep in the second half to seal the win.
The Huskies displayed their all-around talent early on in the game, with all of the starters contributing in the first quarter. They shot 64 percent to Vanderbilt's 14 percent and forced five turnovers. By the end of the quarter they led 20-7.
While the starters shared in the scoring, senior Napheesa Collier was dominant on both ends of the court. When the half ended she already had a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds and going 5-for-8 for 11 points. Behind Collier the Huskies went into the half leading 44-21.
If the second quarter was Collier's, the third quarter was junior Crystal Dangerfield's. She came out of halftime and almost immediately drained a 3-pointer, and a few minutes later hit another. She scored eight points to bring her total up to 16 before the end of the third, helping UConn secure a 65-32 lead.
By the start of the fourth four of five starters had already scored in double digits. With a hefty lead already, UConn let the starters get a few minutes of rest in the second half but still used them quite a bit.
The Huskies continued their dominant play in the fourth quarter, sealing the win with their bench on the floor in the final minutes. Freshman Olivia Nelson-Ododa and sophomore Mikayala Coombs were the two bench players who saw the most time on Saturday. Batouly Camara, Lexi Gordon, Molly Bent and Kyla Irwin all saw playing time in the final minutes.
