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Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 2/14

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they’ll host the Oklahoma Sooners in their final non-conference matchup of the season at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be nationally-televised on ESPN2. The game will also be available online at ESPN3.com. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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UConn Women’s Basketball links

First-year phenoms abound [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Mosqueda-Lewis and Stokes named to WBCA game [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Maya about to stand alone [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn women host Oklahoma: Pregame analysis [Lee Lewis – The Republican-American]

Wear Pink to Tonight’s Oklahoma Game in Hartford! [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Women (24-1) Face Oklahoma (18-6) [Hartford Courant]

Huskies close non-conference schedule vs. Oklahoma [New Haven Register]

Sooners are in town, but all eyes are on Maya [The Day]

UConn women welcome challenge of No. 14 Oklahoma [The Republican-American]

UConn Still Walking the Walk After Walker [Swish Appeal]

Oklahoma faces UConn and its 74-game home win streak [NewsOK.com]

When the Queens ruled [NewsOK.com]

Before Connecticut, there was Wayland Baptist [NewsOK.com]

UConn provides another interesting opportunity for Sooner women [The Norman Transcript]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Coombs-McDaniel’s ‘Stormy’ Night [David Borges – New Haven Register]

UConn 75, Providence 57: the final word [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Breaking out of a slump [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel Breaks Through Vs. PC [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Huskies blitz Friars in second half, get much-needed win [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Video View: Postgame Following The Victory Over Providence [Shawn Courchesne – Hartford Courant]

The Payoff [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Coombs-McDaniel, Huskies top Providence [CT Post]

UConn men’s report card [CT Post]

UConn Wins Behind Coombs-McDaniel’s 25 [Hartford Courant]

Charles Okwandu Has A Career Night On The Boards [Hartford Courant]

UConn Notebook Extras … [Hartford Courant]

Coombs-McDaniel leads charge past Providence [New Haven Register]

Calhoun’s emotions on sideline tell real story [New Haven Register]

Coombs-McDaniel has his shining moment [Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Men’s Basketball Notebook: Pair of Huskies miss a chance to play against former teammate [Norwich Bulletin]

Turning blame to praise [The Day]

Trio of underachievers step up for UConn [The Republican-American]

Walker breaks out of shooting slump [The Republican-American]

UConn Football links

Valentine’s Day in the Big East [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Heartbreakers in the Big East [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

What you love about the Big East [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

McEntee Trick Shot Video A Worldwide Sensation [UConnHuskies.com]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Collegebaseball360.com to Provide Webcast at BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Tops SHU in Historic Outdoor Game, 3-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. UConn Falls To Providence, 4-3 At Rentschler Field [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn tries to keep donor list private [CT Post]

COLLEGE HOCKEY: UConn, Sacred Heart enjoy old-school atmosphere [New Haven Register]

A Significant Day For UConn Hockey [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Hockey Team Wins At The Rent [Hartford Courant]

UConn Day at Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011

By Bruce Berlet

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – Cole Schneider started learning to play hockey at 2 on a rink his parents built behind their house in suburban Buffalo.

Whalers Hockey FestSchneider, a freshman from Williamsville, N.Y., also had outdoors experience in juniors while playing for the Topeka Road Runners of the North American Hockey League in a game at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, so playing outdoors Sunday in the opener of “UConn Day” in the Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 wasn’t all that new.

“We used to just go out and have some fun with friends,” Schneider said of his early days in Williamsville. “Every winter we’d build a rink, go out in the backyard, shoot around and have a little fun.”

Schneider enjoyed himself a lot Sunday after Sacred Heart’s Matt Gingeira scored a power-play goal to tie it at 1 at 7:17 of the second period. Only 60 seconds later, Schneider tipped Rui Encarnacao’s shot past Steven Legatto and then added a third-period goal on a laser from the slot off a pass from Brant Harris to lead UConn to a 3-1 Atlantic Hockey Association victory before 2,000 at Rentschler Field.

“That was a huge shift,” Schneider said of the one that followed Gingeira’s tying goal. “Every time they score a goal, you want to get out there and work hard the next shift, not only to score a goal but to get the momentum back on your side. I was fortunate enough to get the tip.”

In the second game, junior forward Laura Veharanta of La Verne, Calif., who never skated outdoors until last year, scored two wraparound goals 2:06 apart late in the second period, and the ninth-ranked Providence College women’s team held on for a 4-3 Women’s Hockey East victory.

“We were a little more pumped than usual, but it didn’t translate,” UConn freshman Taylor Gross said.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Both games were intense from the outset, with the Sacred Heart men and Providence women controlling territorially in the early going.

The UConn men were outshot 17-12 in the first period but escaped with a 1-0 lead on Andrew Olson’s deflection of Justin Hernandez’s shot with 31.6 seconds left and stout goaltending from Garrett Bartus, who had 17 of his 29 saves in the opening 20 minutes.

Gingera got the equalizer just past the midpoint of the second period, but Schneider’s 10th and 11th goals increased his team-leading point total to 27 and gave the Huskies (10-16-4, 10-11-2 Atlantic Hockey Association) their third win in four starts, including 4-2 at Sacred Heart on Friday night, after a 0-7-1 slide. Sacred Heart (4-21-5, 4-14-5) has lost eight out of its last nine games.

“Cole has that ability to score big goals,” Marshall said.

Both teams gushed about playing outdoors for the first time and looked forward to making it an annual occasion.

“It was a good atmosphere, and I thought we got better as the game went on, after the first period,” Marshall said. “All in all, it was a successful day for both teams, though Sacred Heart wanted the two points, but as far as the kids and the memories for their lifetime, it was a home run.”

Marshall said his team was hootin’ and hollerin’ more than usual, and while the Huskies didn’t do a good job of channeling their emotion in the first period, he said it was a good learning experience for the playoffs.

Then as the Huskies prepared to go out for the third period, senior forward Chris Spicer, “a fourth-liner grinder type who plays with emotion,” asked Marshall, “How are we going to remember this moment?”

“They were focused in on our once-in-a-lifetime chance and to make sure we ended up on the plus side of it,” Marshall said.

“I think we were looking forward to this game ever since it was announced in the summer,” said forward Andrew Olson, who scored UConn’s first goal. “As a senior, it was great for me. I only have four or five games left, so there was more incentive. I was talking to a couple of other seniors, and we were definitely excited. A lot of guys will get to do it a couple more times, but, yeah, it was a great experience. There a little more hype (in the locker room), people were talking more, so it was pretty exciting.”

The loss epitomized the season for 2010 AHA runner-up Sacred Heart (3-20-5, 3-13-5), as Schneider scored the tie-breaking goal after the Pioneers missed the net on a rush the other way.

“That was the turning point,” Pioneers coach C.J. Marottolo said.

But Marottolo, a former assistant and associate coach at Yale, would love another shot at playing outdoors.

“When I saw the sun come out (in the second period), I said, ‘Well maybe that sun’s going to shine on us a little bit,’ ” Marottolo said with a smile. “We’re looking for any little positive that can kind of catapult us and get some momentum for the playoffs. Everybody in our league makes it, and we all know there are a lot of Cinderella teams that do great things in playoff runs.

“That’s what we’re trying to capture as the guys continue to work hard. We’re still having fun even if our record isn’t what we would want or hope to be. But that doesn’t diminish what they’re still trying to accomplish. UConn played really well, and the atmosphere was terrific. I think both schools did a good job promoting it, and the event was awesome. We’ll sign up for it right now again. They’re talking about every year or every other year, but we feel privileged to be a part of it.

“Hockey is great in Connecticut, from the youth level to high school and prep school and Division I to a lot of great players who played in the NHL. So what they’re doing from all the youth hockey all the way the minor pro (in Hartford) is great. It’s a great event, and as it goes, I think as it goes, it’s going to build. Hopefully in 10 years we’ll be sitting here saying, ‘Gee, look how much this has grown.’ ”

Pioneers captain Patrick Knowlton, who set up Gingera’s goal and was one of many Sacred Heart players wearing eye black, also grew up playing outdoors in Minnesota and wanted to see a continuation of the outdoor festivities.

“It wasn’t much different (from indoors). It’s an ice hockey rink,” Knowlton said. “But it was such a different atmosphere, and you couldn’t have asked much more out there today. It was kind of cool looking up at the lights and all the fans and all the oohs and aahs throughout the game, but we came to play to the end. I think UConn kind of came out doing a little headhunting, and our guys said we had to come back with something because this is a good rivalry.”

The day started with 50 UConn alumni playing in a fun game, then nearly 200 alumni took part in a family skate. Marshall, who is in his 24th year in the program as a player, assistant coach and coach, didn’t play in the alumni game, just acted as a greeter.

“It was fantastic,” Marshall said. “There was even a guy here from California from the Class of 1962. A lot of the guys on the bench were saying everyone wants to play outdoors because it’s the chic thing to do, but no one wanted to come watch us when we were outdoors. There were a lot of little twists like that going on all day.”

The “UConn Day” finale had plenty of twists and turns. Jennifer Friedman, on a power play, and Ashley Cottrell gave the Friars a 2-0 lead as they outshot UConn 10-2 by 2:26 of the second period.

“Everybody was a lot more pumped, but I don’t why it didn’t translate into the first period,” said UConn freshman Taylor Gross, who had two assists. “It seemed like everybody was ready to go, but when we got out there, it just didn’t translate.”

But the Huskies righted the ship and got even when sophomore Maude Blain scored from Gross at 3:31 and freshman Jenny Saxon put a shot between Genevieve Lacasse’s legs off a left-wing rush at 9:40.

But Veharanta put the Friars back ahead to stay at 15:33 and scored the winner with 2:21 left.

“I’ve been practicing (wraparounds) for quite some time, and it worked today,” Veharanta said.

Veharanta and many of her teammates skated outside for the first time last year when they went to Eaton Park in Shrewsbury, Mass. But Veharanta had been to Connecticut five times as a member of a Southern California travel team that played in the Polar Bear Tournament, the largest girls’ hockey event in the world.

“They were afraid they were going to fall through the ice,” Friars coach Bob Deraney said with a chuckle.

“I grew up in Colorado, but I’m scared of skating on a pond,” Gross said with a smile.

But Gross, the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week last week, got her second assist when she set up sophomore Kelly Horan’s power-play goal that got UConn within a goal at 4:44 of the third period. But the Huskies couldn’t get to their fourth consecutive overtime game, having lost to the Friars 2-1 on Saturday.

“Another close game and no reward,” said UConn coach Heather Linstad, a 1989 graduate of Providence. “Obviously I respect Providence and the experience I had as a student-athlete that I tried to build off of the things I liked and disliked. Certainly I have great respect for my alma mater, but I certainly don’t appreciate losing to them. Kudos to them, but it’s more that we’re not playing for (45) minutes. I thought we came out really flat and kind of got back on our heels. It’s something that we have to change in our locker room. It’s something we need to fix.

“We played well in the second and third periods, but while she has been fairly consistent all season, our goalie (Alexandra Garcia, three-time AHA defensive player of the week) gave up a couple of soft goals, and that hurt us. But the spirit and intensity in the second and third is something that I’d like to see them play with every game and every shift. But it’s hard to lose third place to Providence right now.”

Friars coach Bob Deraney said he and his team had been fortunate to play in the Whalers Hockey Fest after competing in The Bog Game the previous Sunday against Northeastern at the Bog Ice Arena in North Kingston, Mass. The Friars (20-11-1, 11-8-1 Women’s Hockey East) tied that game 2-2.

“It’s great to get the communities involved, and this game was a different atmosphere being in a giant football stadium,” Veharanta said, alluding to Rentschler Field being the home of the football Huskies.

“To play games like this in different environments gets your team ready for anything and everything, and we’re pleased to do that because it allows them to grow as people and hockey players,” Deraney said. “It’s a huge benefit, and we’ve been very privileged to be asked to play in The Bog Game and then to be asked to be the guest of UConn.

“I don’t think you could ask for better conditions. The ice surface was good, the weather was perfect and it wasn’t too bright (on the ice) for the players. It was a wonderful job, and UConn does a wonderful job when they put on an event. It’s always first class, and we’re proud that we were asked to participate.”

After growing up in California, Veharanta called Sunday “definitely a great experience.”

“We had decided we would do what it took to win, and it was a lot of fun,” she said. “Walking from the locker room was kind of cool to look up and see everything. It just kind of pumped you up more and put you in game mode. I had never played under lights before, so I didn’t know if it would make that big of a difference. There wasn’t any glare, and everyone liked the way it looked the way it looked on a football field. It’s kind of exciting. You see it in all the NHL Winter Classics.”

Gross was unhappy with the result but enthused about the experience because she is one of eight freshmen on the team.

“It was really exciting and definitely a great opportunity,” she said. “I feel very fortunate to be able to participate. Obviously the seniors who are graduating would have like to win, so it just kind of (stinks) that we didn’t get the win. But I really appreciate the opportunity that I actually got to be in it.”

The Friars finished 3-0-1 against the Huskies (12-19-2, 8-19-2), and this win basically clinched third place and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“We were talking last night that this is a Big East rivalry, even though UConn has had a program for only 11 years,” Deraney said. “There was a rivalry between Providence and UConn long before women’s hockey started because it had been played in many sports. Coach Lindstad has done a wonderful job with the program, and it’s always nip-and-tuck, one-goal games that bring out the best in each other, and I hope they feel the same way.

“It’s really neat for women’s ice hockey to have that unique rivalry, and so it’s always exciting when we get together. It’s always going to be a dogfight.”

Especially when it’s in such unique surroundings in the largest event in Connecticut hockey history.

Would Deraney want to come back?

“Absolutely,” he said.

Linstad was even more emphatic.

“Like now we’re defeated in the building, and we’d like to even up our record,” she said. “Last year we got to play in the Igloo (in Pittsburgh), and then they tore it down, so we’re the last women’s team to ever win in the Igloo. So, really, we need to come back to The Rent to win one or two more games, so we can always say we had a winning record.”

After nearly 12 hours of skating in many shapes, forms and speeds, the memorable day ended at 8:47 p.m. with the Springfield Pics beating the Junior A Hartford Wolf Pack, 4-2.

Coombs-McDaniel, Walker Lead UConn Past Friars

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel signals after dropping a three point shot in UConn's 75-57 win over Providence. Coombs-McDaniel ended with a team high 25-points.

With a tough stretch of games coming up against the likes of Georgetown, Louisville and Marquette coupled with losing three of their past four games, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team really needed to pick up a win on Sunday night against the Providence Friars. And for the first half and early part of the second half it didn’t look like the Huskies were going to get it done.

But a big night from Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who had a career-high 25 points, helped the Huskies to a 75-57 win in front of a sold-out crowd at Gampel Pavilion.

With the win, UConn improves to 19-5 (7-5, Big East). The Friars fall to 14-11 and 3-9 in the Big East. By the way, UConn was 18-16 last year.

Kadeem Batts (L) loses control of a UConn rebound under pressure from Charles Okwandu during the first half of UConn's 75-57 win.If it weren’t for Coombs-McDaniel’s 12 points in the first half, this game could have a much different outcome. He was 10-of-17 from the floor and also pulled down eight rebounds. Kemba Walker looks to be out of his funk as he had 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added seven assists. Charles Okwandu was also a big factor as he played 25 minutes and had six points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Big East’s leading scorer Marshon Brooks had 25 points but had a poor shooting night as he was just 7-of-22 from the floor including 1-of-8 from three-point land. Brooks also added a team-high seven rebounds. Bryce Cotton was the only other member of the Friars in double-digits with 10 points. Vincent Council didn’t have any points but had a game-high nine assists.

The Huskies fell behind 9-4 out of the gates but a Jeremy Lamb dunk and Kemba Walker three-pointer knotted the game back up at 9. Cotton then nailed a three to put the Friars back out front. UConn would get it done to two points a few times during the next three minutes or so.

With Providence holding an 18-16 lead, they scored the next four points to open up a six point lead to silence the crowd at Gampel.  UConn battled back though with a 6-1 run to cut the lead to one point at 23-22. After a Brooks free throw, Napier tied the game up with a layup. Four straight points by the Friars opened their lead back up to four before UConn started to cut into it with Coombs-McDaniel scoring six of the final seven points during a 7-0 run to close out the first half.

The first five minutes and sixteen seconds of the second half saw the score stay close. But with the game tied at 41-all, the Huskies went on a 9-0 run. Providence would then score the next four points before the Huskies responded with five straight of their own. The Friars would eventually get the game down to seven points at 60-53 but UConn would close out the game on a 15-4 run to put it away.

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With the way that he played on Sunday night, Coombs-McDaniel will probably find himself on the court a little more. It was also nice to see Walker get going again. He was at his best tonight when he had the ball in his hands. When he didn’t, he was able to get some better screens.

And I can’t say enough about the play of Okwandu. With Alex Oriakhi in a funk of his own right now, Okwandu’s play was huge. His presence in the middle made a big difference. 

Overall, I thought UConn was at its best when they played with three guards on the floor. Going a little smaller allowed them to play a little more uptempo and keep the Friars off balance.

The Huskies are back in action on Wednesday night when they’ll host the Georgetown Hoyas at the xL Center in Hartford, CT. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised locally here in Connecticut on SNY.

Notes and musings:

Providence Friars @ UConn Huskies 2.13.11 box score

Here are quotes from UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, Kemba Walker, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Donnell Beverly, Charles Okwandu and Providence head coach Keno Davis.

The starters for UConn were Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith, Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu.

The Friars were without freshman guard Gerard Coleman due to academic issues.

Coombs-McDaniel was only averaging 4.5 points a game and his previous career-high was 13 points before tonight’s 25 point outburst.

UConn shot 46.8% (29-62) from the floor while the Friars shot 33.3% (20-60).

The Huskies had 19 assists on their 29 made baskets.

UConn was 7-of-16 (43.8%) from three-point land. The Friars were 3-of-20 (15%).

The Huskies were 10-of-14 (71.4%) from the charity stripe.

UConn won the battle of the boards 42-35.

The Huskies outscored the Friars 34-26 in the paint and 18-4 on the fast break.

UConn had 15 points off of 11 Providence turnovers. The Friars had 14 points off of 11 Huskies turnovers.

Photo credits: Mark Mirko – Hartford Courant (No. 5, No. 11)

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Thanks because without you the reader, the site wouldn’t be what it is today.

Bobby Jenks Doesn’t Plan On Stepping On Anyone’s Toes

One of the newer members of the Boston Red Sox bullpen, Bobby Jenks sat down with the media on Sunday at the Red Sox Player Development Complex. In his remarks to media, he said that he was happy to be a member of the Red Sox and “isn’t there to step on anybody’s toes (Jonathan Papelbon‘s).”

Boston Red Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks(notes) talks with reporters at the Red Sox training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011. Tomorrow is the first official workout for pitchers and catchers for Red Sox spring training.On signing with the Sox: “This is a place I’ve wanted to play for for a while. Once the opportunity came up, I had a chance to come here; I jumped right on it. There was no other reason than that. I had a few other opportunities to go close right away and keep doing what I was doing. But when they called, I jumped right on it.”

On working with Jonathan Papelbon: “We’re fine. I didn’t come here to step on anybody’s toes. I know what my role is. Coming here, we’ve been friends, shoot, for many years now. I don’t think that’s going to be any problem throughout the year at all.”

Some free agents will sign places for the money but to me it sounds like Jenks really wants to be here. It’s also nice to see the non-diva attitude that you get with some of the free agents. Theo Epstein’s done a tremendous job of putting together a championship-caliber team and it looks like, although it’s still early, that everybody is on board with whatever role is handed to them.

And that to me, is the start of something very special.

Video credit: WEEI.com

Photo credit: AP Photo

SOX & Dawgs has been nominated for “Best Red Sox Blog” at the New England Sports Blog Awards! Please take a few moments from your day to vote for SOX & Dawgs by heading over to Trufan.com. You are allowed to vote once a day. Thank you for your support not only in the voting but also to make the site what it is today.

New Numbers For 2011 Red Sox Players

With the pitchers and catchers for the Boston Red Sox officially reporting on Sunday at the Red Sox Player Development Complex in Ft. Myers, FL, there will be some new faces in camp. And with new faces means new numbers that help us match the face and the number together.

Adrian Gonzalez Red Sox Uniform T-shirtCourtesy of Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, here’s the list of numbers for the new players:

Alfredo Aceves: 91
Matt Albers: 32
Carl Crawford: 13
Adrian Gonzalez: 28
Bobby Jenks: 52
John Lackey: 41
Andrew Miller: 30
Tony Pena Jr.: 46
Dan Wheeler: 36
Curt Young: 40

By the way, I’m so glad I didn’t buy that John Lackey uniform t-shirt that was in the clearance bin at Bob’s a few weeks ago.

The first full workout for the pitchers and catchers will be on Tuesday morning with the rest of the team due into camp on Thursday although from the looks of it, most of the team is already there.

Spring is in the air, can you feel it?

SOX & Dawgs has been nominated for “Best Red Sox Blog” at the New England Sports Blog Awards! Please take a few moments from your day to vote for SOX & Dawgs by heading over to Trufan.com. You are allowed to vote once a day. Thank you for your support not only in the voting but also to make the site what it is today.

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 2/13

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they’ll host the Providence Friars in a rare Sunday night game at Gampel Pavilion. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised locally here in Connecticut on SNY. The game will also be available online at ESPN3.com. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

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UConn Men’s Basketball links

All Apologies [David Borges – New Haven Register]

News from practice [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

Huskies preparing for Friars [Joe Perez – Norwich Bulletin]

UConn Staying Upbeat In Advance Of Providence Game [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Providence’s Marshon Brooks, Big East’s Leading Scorer [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Huskies, Friars on deck [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Know Your Enemy: Providence Friars [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Apologetic Calhoun, Huskies prepare for Providence [CT Post]

UConn Men Look To Rebound Vs. Providence [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men: Did Freshmen Live Up To Hype? [Hartford Courant]

Huskies look to get fun feeling back [New Haven Register]

Huskies shuffle lineup [Norwich Bulletin]

Calhoun stays upbeat as Huskies fight funk [The Day]

Huskies searching for answers [The Republican-American]

Huskies, Friars are mirror images in many ways [Providence Journal]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Dolson comes up big again [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Big Providence Crowd Pays Dividends For Huskies [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Chasing Angel Will Continue Monday For Miss Maya [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Tidbits From Saturday’s 68-38 Win Over Providence [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

One Final UConn Timeout For Non-Conference Play [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Quick Hits About UConn Vs. Oklahoma [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Moore Sets Career In Assists [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Hayes Not A Big Concern For Auriemma; Dolson A Factor On Break [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

No. 2 Huskies Roll Past Providence, 68-38 [UConnHuskies.com]

Dolson, UConn women rout Providence [CT Post]

UConn notebook: Moore finds a passing fancy [CT Post]

Moore Passes On Record As UConn Steamrolls Providence [Hartford Courant]

UConn Notebook: Moore Set To Pass McCoughtry [Hartford Courant]

UConn Notebook Extras … [Hartford Courant]

Dolson keeps Huskies rolling [New Haven Register]

Fired-up UConn puts PC away early [The Day]

This is no time to relax [The Day]

UConn freshman makes big strides [The Republican-American]

Moore light on the scoring, but picks up passing game [The Republican-American]

Oklahoma Takes On No. 2 UConn [SoonerSports.com]

UConn Football links

UConn Football Staff Near Completion [Hartford Courant]

Wethersfield native Adeyemi makes UConn football roster [Wethersfield Post]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Fall Short In Overtime At Providence, 2-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

SOX & Dawgs has been nominated for “Best Red Sox Blog” at the New England Sports Blog Awards! Please take a few moments from your day to vote for SOX & Dawgs by heading over to Trufan.com. You are allowed to vote once a day. Thank you for your support not only in the voting but also to make the site what it is today.

UConn Women Easily Handle Providence 68-38

With their final non-conference matchup of the 2010-11 season looming on Monday night against the Oklahoma Sooners, UConn Huskies women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma was able to rest his key players on Saturday afternoon.

UConn's Stefanie Dolson shoots over Providence's Teya Wright on Saturday at Alumni Hall in Providence.The reason why is the fact the Huskies built up a big halftime lead of 29 points and went on to a relatively easy 68-38 win over the Providence Friars in front of a sold-out crowd at Alumni Hall in Providence, RI.

With the win, UConn improves to 24-1 (12-0 Big East) while the Friars fall to 11-12 (4-7).

Stefanie Dolson led the way for the Huskies with a career-high tying 21 points and had six rebounds. Maya Moore finished the afternoon with 11 points and is now 11 points shy of breaking Angel McCoughtry’s Big East scoring record. Moore did add a career-high nine assists and pulled down six rebounds as well. They were the only two Huskies in double-digits.

Kelly Faris led the way for the Huskies with seven rebounds to go along with eight points and three assists. Bria Hartley chipped in with eight points as well.

No member of the Friars hit double figures as Teya Wright led them with nine points and added a game-high 10 rebounds.  Both Lola Wells and Mi-Khida Hankins added six points.

The Huskies got out to an early 8-4 lead before scoring the next eight points to increase their lead to 12. After a basket by Providence’s Alicia Cropper, UConn used a 16-1 run to put this game out of reach. The Friars would get no closer than 23 points the rest of the way.

Dolson is really coming along nicely. After a slow start, she’s continuing to improve more and more each game. And if that continues, the Huskies could be deadly if they can stay out of foul trouble with Moore on the outside and Dolson on the inside.

The Huskies are back in action on Monday night when they’ll host the Sooners at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be nationally-televised on ESPN2.

UConn Huskies @ Providence Friars 2.12.11 box score

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