One might have thought that with Mel Thomas out for the Huskies that we wouldn’t see a lot of 3-point shots. Well that wasn’t the case on Saturday afternoon as Renee Montgomery was 7-of-11 from 3-point land to lead UConn past the Cincinnati Bearcats at the XL Center.
Montgomery led the way for UConn (17-0, 5-0 Big East) with a career-high 27 points. Her seven 3-pointers were also a career-high. Maya Moore had her 5th double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kaili McLaren came off the bench to score 10 points and pull down 10 boards for just her second career double-double. Lorin Dixon played well in her first start, scoring only 4 points but dishing out 7 assists against 2 turnovers. Ketia Swanier came off the bench to add 8 assists as well for the Huskies.
Cincinnati (10-7, 1-4) was led by Kahia Roudebush with 16 points. Jill Stephens added 15 points and a team-high 7 rebounds. Tenishia Benson added 7 points for the Bearcats as well.
The Bearcats stayed close in the early part of the first half as they were down 13-10 before the Huskies went on a 9-0 run. UConn built the lead to 45-25 at the half behind Moore’s 19 first half points and Montgomery’s 4-of-6 from 3-point land.
The second half was more of the same for the Huskies as they were able to just keep building their lead behind the strength of Montgomery’s play and also the play of McLaren.
With Dixon playing well, the Huskies looked good offensively. Even Charde Houston played a little better pulling down 8 rebounds. UConn will need Tina Charles to step her play as she’s struggled lately. She did look good in the latter part of the second half as the Huskies made a concerted effort to get her the ball inside.
Next up for the #1 Huskies is a visit from the #3 North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday night at Gampel. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Notes and musings:
The starters were Lorin Dixon, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, Charde Houston and Tina Charles.
How much do you think Mel Thomas loves her teammates? Just one day after undergoing surgery to repair her ACL and torn meniscus, she was back on the bench (well behind it). She got a very loud ovation when she was seen heading to the court on her crutches. Thomas also got a nice ovation when she headed to the locker room before halftime.
Brittany Hunter missed the game again today to rest her knee. UConn hopes to get her back for Monday’s big matchup against #3 North Carolina.
Thomas’ high school teammate Michelle Jones is sitting out the season for the Bearcats as a medical redshirt.
There are still around 900 tickets available for Monday night’s matchup versus #3 North Carolina on Monday night at Gampel.
Geno Auriemma and a bunch of UConn fans were on hand last night in Springfield to watch incoming recruit Elena Delle Donne put up 38 points and pull down 11 rebounds in a 58-37 win versus Christ of King.
“The support was even greater than in Delaware, if you can believe that,” Delle Donne said. “I was shocked. I knew [the fans] followed UConn, but I had no idea they followed a recruit like that. It was amazing. I walked out on the floor and saw all the UConn T-shirts. It was incredible.”
Delle Donne and her Ursuline Academy teammates were behind the UConn bench today. The Christ of King team, where Tina Charles and Lorin Dixon went to high school, was behind the UConn bench as well.
Can someone teach Tina Charles how to make a layup?
Montgomery needs just 3 points to cross the 1,000 point plateau in her UConn career. She would be the second Husky to do that this season. Thomas did it earlier in the season and she will be honored before Monday night’s game.
Cincinnati was just 8-of-28 (29%) from 3-point land while the Huskies were 10-of-22 (45%).
UConn won the battle of the boards rather easily as the outrebounded the Bearcats 52-30.
UConn shot 48% (33-69) from the floor while the Bearcats shot 29% (18-62).
The Huskies had 25 assists on the 33 made baskets and forced Cincinnati into 17 turnovers. UConn committed 14 of their own.
