Final Score: UConn Women’s Basketball Overpowers Cincinnati, 96-49

After a stretch of games where they didn’t quite look like themselves, the UConn women’s hoops team returned to form in a dominant win over Cincinnati, 96-49. It is the Huskies’ 98th win in a row.

As she has done in the past few games, Napheesa Collier did the bulk of the scoring for the Huskies. She started quickly, grabbing fours rebounds by the under-5 timeout and putting up a team-high ten points after the first quarter.

Collier finished the night a perfect 10-of-10 from the floor—the first player to do so since Breanna Stewart on November 23, 2014. The sophomore’s final stat line included 24 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocks.

UConn got off to a sluggish start, though it wasn’t as bad as the previous game against Tulsa. At one point in the first quarter, the Huskies were shooting just 40% and held a slim 10-7 lead. But then the floodgates opened as UConn mounted a 20-0 run which lasted nearly five minutes ran into the second quarter.

The rest of the second quarter settled down a bit as the Bearcats even held UConn scoreless for over three minutes. But then the Huskies went on an 8-0 run to close out the half.

The second half opened with back-to-back threes from Kia Nurse as the lead continued to grow. The Huskies pushed the ball up-court all night, outscoring Cincinnati 20-0 on the fastbreak.

For the second straight game, Katie Lou Samuelson finished with a sub-par shooting performance, by her standards. The sophomore was just 8-of-18 from the field and 3-of-11 from deep.

While it’s likely just a blip on the radar, Samuelson’s shooting is something to monitor going forward. Fatigue or an injury could be playing a factor and UConn has a really important game coming up February 13 against South Carolina.

Gabby Williams bounced back to earn her eighth double-double of the season with a ninja-like 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists.

Next on the schedule, UConn returns home to face SMU on Saturday for Play4Kay. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game and make a donation to Kay Yow Cancer fund if they can. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion.