UConn women’s basketball destroys Dayton, 75-37

Even without star point guard Crystal Dangerfield, the UConn women’s basketball team earned a comfortable win over the Dayton Flyers, 75-37.

With Dangerfield sidelined by back spasms, senior Molly Bent started in her place and finished with four points, three steals, two assists and three turnovers.

Overall, the offense functioned well. The Huskies scored their third-most points in a game this season, shot 53 percent from three and assisted on 19 of 31 baskets (61 percent).

Megan Walker stepped up with a game-high 23 points — thanks in part to a 4-of-5 performance from beyond the arc — as well as 12 rebounds. Christyn Williams contributed 14 points, five rebounds and four assists while Olivia Nelson-Ododa dominated the post with 14 points, eight rebounds and an incredible seven blocks.

UConn’s defense impressed as well, holding Dayton to a season-low 37 points and the fewest the Huskies have allowed since last January. The Flyers didn’t reach double-digit points in each of the last three quarters.

After an uneasy start, UConn exploded with a 13-0 run and from there, the Huskies didn’t look back.

Anna Makurat provided an early spark off the bench, hitting two threes and making a pair of impressive passes to set her teammates up. However, she went down midway through the second quarter after rolling her ankle on a Dayton players’ foot. She walked off the floor under her own power but went straight into the locker room.

While she started the second half, Makurat visibly struggled to move around the floor and subbed out after two minutes. She did not return.

Even though UConn went 4:51 without a point in the second quarter, the Huskies still went into the half leading by 19.

Out of the break, the Huskies maintained their grip on the game. They pushed the lead over 30 points thanks to a trio of threes by Megan Walker and an 11-0 run as UConn cruised through the final quarter to victory.

Luckily, UConn gets over a week off to rest its injuries before it returns to action on Dec. 5 against future conference foe Seton Hall.