The top-ranked UConn Huskies made a visit to the brand new Wintrust Arena and made easy work of DePaul, winning 103-69 with a complete team effort. UConn dished out 34 assists and six Huskies finished with double-digit scoring as the team improves to 8-0.
The Blue Demons hung with UConn somewhat in the early going but it was only a matter of time before the floodgates would open. Two straight threes from Crystal Dangerfield helped spark a 14-2 run in a first quarter that ended with UConn up 13. Dangerfield finished 6-7 from behind the arc on her way to 18 points, second-most on the team, and also notched nine assists. Azura Stevens came off the bench to add 16 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
Katie Lou Samuelson got going early in the second quarter as the Huskies built their lead up to 61-38 heading into the break. Despite leaving the Notre Dame game with an ankle injury that kept her out of the previous four games, Samuelson played the entire game, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Her classmate, the ever-consistent Napheesa Collier, ended up with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
Gabby Williams had a classic Gabby Williams performance, stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. She struggled with turnovers again, losing the ball seven times. Williams sat the entire second half of the Notre Dame game with migraines but did not seem to have any issues tonight. Fellow senior Kia Nurse added 13 points.
UConn kept the intensity up in the third quarter, holding DePaul to just nine points while scoring 21. Geno Auriemma kept his starters in the game into the fourth quarter, when Kentucky transfer Batouly Camara made her UConn debut. This was Auriemma’s 999th career win. He goes for 1000 on Friday, December 19 when the Huskies head to the familiar confines of Mohegan Sun Arena to take on Oklahoma as part of the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase.