UConn Women’s Basketball Sails Past Seton Hall, 99-61

In their final home game of 2018, UConn defeated the Seton Hall Pirates, 99-61. The Huskies scored a season-high 61 points in the first half before struggling offensively in the second.

Katie Lou Samuelson collected her second career double-double in the game. She led the team in scoring and rebounds with 26 points and 16 boards — the latter of which was a career-high. Samuelson also had 6 assists.

UConn pulled away early, going on a 10-0 run after Seton Hall’s first bucket of the game. Christyn Williams led the charge with 15 points to put UConn up by 22 at the end of the first quarter. All five starters got on the board for the Huskies early on, including Kyla Irwin, who made her second career start. She drained a three and also added 2 assists and 3 rebounds in the first period.

UConn cooled down from the floor in the second quarter, but continued to extend their lead behind a handful of fouls from Seton Hall. Despite shooting just 8-19 from the floor, the Huskies added 9 points from the line to lead 61-29 at the half.

The Huskies had an ever slower third quarter, outscoring Seton Hall by just two points with a total of 14 points while shooting less than 30 percent from the floor. With seniors Samuelson and Napheesa Collier on the bench, UConn remained cold to start the fourth quarter. With Auriemma feeding his seniors back into the lineup, the Huskies found their offensive rhythm and outscored Seton Hall in the second half as well.

Samuelson, Williams, Collier, and Crystal Dangerfield all finished in double figures, scoring 75 of UConn’s 99 points. Additionally, in another game without their fifth starter Megan Walker (strep throat), UConn got better than usual production from their bench.

Irwin played 29 minutes for the Huskies, scoring 6 points on 2-2 shooting from beyond the arc. Molly Bent also had 5 points, and while Mikayla Coombs did not get on the board, she had 6 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist and a block in her 18 minutes.

Seton Hall had no defensive answer for Olivia Nelson-Ododa. She drew the foul nearly every time she touched the ball, scoring 7 of her 13 points from the line. Unfortunately, Nelson-Ododa also picked up fouls quickly at the other end, fouling out in just 12 minutes on the floor.

The Huskies now have over a week off to take their final exams in Storrs. UConn returns to action at Oklahoma on Wednesday, December 19th.

Geno Auriemma, Katie Lou Samuelson, Kyla Irwin postgame interviews

Grid View

• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog
• The Seton Hall Pirates take on the UConn Huskies in a women’s college basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on December 8, 2018. Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog