How UConn women’s basketball replaced Crystal Dangerfield on offense against Dayton

Although you might not have guessed it from the score, UConn women’s basketball was without Crystal Dangerfield on Tuesday night against Dayton. The Huskies still managed to score 75 points while holding the Flyers to only 37 on the other end. They shot 50 percent from the field and had 19 assists on 31 made field goals in a strong offensive performance. Here’s a look at what UConn did to be successful on offense without their point guard on the court:

Sticking with experience

While their in-game minutes have been limited, Kyla Irwin and Molly Bent have been apart of the program for nearly four years. In the absence of the team’s senior point guard, that experience took priority in tonight’s lineup. Both Irwin and Bent earned the started and played over 30 minutes apiece. It was Ben’t first career start and a career-high in minutes for both.

Irwin excelled in her role on the court, something that’s becoming a consistent theme for the senior upon this season. She scored 8 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including two first half three-pointers. She also added six rebounds and six assists. Bent also showed strong flashes, finishing with 4 points, 4 boards and 2 assists. She also played her first 21 minutes without a single turnover.

Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog

Walker does it all

Megan Walker has been great for the Huskies so far this season — but she took it a step above on Tuesday night. The junior finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for UConn and already had an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double by halftime. She followed up a terrific first half with three triples and 12 points in the third quarter.

The Huskies needed someone to have a big night in Dangerfield’s absence, and Walker stepped up to the plate. She came just seven points shy of single-handedly outscoring Dayton by the end of the final quarter.

Williams excels as the backup point guard

In case there was any question on who serves as the point guard without Dangerfield on the floor, we now have our answer. Williams took on the role of floor general for most of the night and didn’t miss a beat. She finished the game with 4 assists and just one turnover, while also adding 14 points. Williams came off the floor for just three minutes all game, perhaps making her single turnover even more impressive.

Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog