Have No Fear, Westbrook is Here

Allison Irons

UConn's Evina Westbrook brings the ball down the court during the game versus Notre Dame on Dec. 5th. IMAGE: STEPHEN SLADE, UCONN ATHLETICS

After a devastating loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday, the UConn Huskies came out in the final quarter to seal today’s win over the UCLA Bruins. Leading the Husky Pack was senior Evina Westbrook. Without Paige Bueckers as the point, Westbrook stepped up to lead her team to be victorious.

The Huskies had two days to rework their plays without a set point guard as Bueckers and sophomore Nika Mühl are injured. Bueckers has a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee after a non-contact injury during the Notre Dame game on December 5th. They are not the only players the Huskies are down. Freshman and number one recruit, Azzi Fudd is out for the time being with an ankle injury. Junior Aubrey Griffin has not played yet this season dealing with back issues and an ankle injury.

What did the Huskies do after the upset to Georgia Tech? They went back to the gym on Friday to figure how to correct their offensive plays without their leading scorer. Coach Geno Auriemma knew he had 36 hours to rework a new starting lineup for today’s game. Who would start versus who are the best assets that will come off the bench? He made an interesting starting lineup change. Sophomore Aaliyah Edwards was replaced by freshman Caroline Ducharme. This marked Ducharme’s first career start for the Huskies. Westbrook, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Dorka Juhász, and Christyn Williams returned as starters.

Christyn Williams drives the ball past Notre Dame's Maya Dodson IMAGE: STEPHEN SLADE, UCONN ATHLETICS

The Huskies had four out of five starts over six feet. Williams is not short at 5’11, though it was surprising to see quite a tall lineup. Though the Huskies were held to only 13 points in the first quarter, they played smart. Only one unlucky foul was committed with three turnovers. Westbrook led the team in scoring with nine points. The Huskies played smart. They scored the first points and wanted to work on ball control to start the game. The zone defense did not prove to be a suitable transition. Ducharme left her player open twice, letting a couple of three-pointers fall. Edwards came off the bench early and freshman Amari DeBerry made a quick appearance.

The second quarter proved to be a tough one for the Huskies. The Bruins held Westbrook to two points but she stayed on the stats sheet with defensive rebounds. Ducharme scored seven points to lead the team into the second half. Westbrook created scoring opportunities for her team. UConn got messy with some adverse turnovers.

Charisma Osborne proved to be a tough competition. The Bruins guard led her team with 26 points. UCLA was hard to guard in UConn’s zone defense. Osborne was clean hitting her threes way outside the arc to seal an early lead for the Bruins. Ilmar’i Thomas and Jaelynn Penn made the stats sheet with 10 points each. Thomas played a strong offensive role creating open shots for Osborne.

Dorka Juhász goes up for layup from an assist by Williams. IMAGE: STEPHEN SLADE, UCONN ATHLETICS

One lucky charm for the Huskies is transfer, Dorka Juhász. After three years with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Juhász joined the roster following the 2021 NCAA Tournament. A strong presence on the floor standing at 6’5, she can provide shots from anywhere on the floor. She scored her 1000th career point while having a superb performance this afternoon.

Juhász had her second career start with the Huskies after starting in the Georgia Tech game. She ended today’s game with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and added 2 steals. The Bruins could not keep up with her pivotal shots at the top of the key. Olivia Nelson-Ododa kept the aggressive offensive presence as she did in the G. Tech game. If she gets that ball under the hoop, her defender will get have trouble keeping up. ONO had 10 points to lead the Huskies, adding 8 rebounds.

The referees made the second half hard for the Huskies to begin their comeback. Coach Auriemma was called for a technical foul in the third quarter. He made his way onto the court after the baseline referee missed the obvious hack on Evina Westbrook. Auriemma can not afford to lose another player this season and was rightfully defending his leading scorer from sustaining a potential injury. Associate Head Coach Chris Daily swiftly got Auriemma off the court in her usual style. That clipboard always comes in handy. The Bruins were awarded, or one would note unjust free throws.

Caroline Ducharme drives in the lane. IMAGE: STEPHEN SLADE, UCONN ATHLETICS

Making her first career start, freshman Caroline Ducharme validated Auriemma’s decision for a new lineup. Ducharme found great success in the Notre Dame game on December 5th. She tied her career-high of 14 points to solidify the win over the Bruins. On the free-throw line, Ducharme is 7-8 in her career. She made all 4 of her attempts today. Freshman Amari DeBerry came off the bench early to appear in her second game. DeBerry helped the Huskies today with her strong ability to grab rebounds.

The Huskies managed to pull off a resilient win over the UCLA Bruins. There is no definite timeline when Mühl, Fudd, or Bueckers will return. Coach Auriemma has said he wants his players to be one-hundred percent ready to compete once cleared. His new starting lineup showed determination but the Huskies need more time to regroup. The team needs extra time working on free throws and their zone defense. They have a week before taking on Louisville at Mohegan Sun Area next Sunday.