UConn Women’s Basketball Stomps Memphis, 102-45

Despite the winter storm outside, UConn women’s basketball’s offense stayed hot as the Huskies blew past the Memphis Tigers, 102-45, at the XL Center on Wednesday night.

As has been the case all season, UConn’s seniors led the way.

Katie Lou Samuelson couldn’t miss early on, hitting her first four shots from beyond the arc while scoring 12 of UConn’s initial 16 points. She earned a double-double with 32 points (8-11 from three) and 10 rebounds, while also totaling seven assists on the night.

Napheesa Collier also had a double-double, scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds while also dishing out five assists and hitting an efficient 8-12 of her shots.

As a team, the Huskies weren’t afraid to launch threes in the first half, putting up 17 attempts — just under half their total shots. With just three-pointers, UConn still would’ve led by six at the half.

UConn was so good offensively in the early going that it negated its subpar defense for the first 10 minutes. The Huskies had issues leaving players open and surrendered 19 points in the first quarter.

During the break between periods, UConn appeared to make some adjustments on defense. In the second frame, they allowed just four baskets — and only one over the final five minutes of the half. A 19-2 run from the Huskies to close it pushed an already-wide 17-point lead at the end of the first quarter to 35 points at halftime.

UConn kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter with the lead ballooning over 40 points. Head coach Geno Auriemma worked his bench into the game before turning over the keys to the reserves for the final quarter.

UConn reached the 100-point mark for the third time this season while every Husky scored.

Christyn Williams did not play after the 5:58 mark in the third quarter after Auriemma appeared to be upset at the freshman for not running all the way up the court on a fast break. Williams was quiet to that point, scoring just five points in 16 minutes. Mikayla Coombs took advantage of the extra minutes, collecting four rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a strong game as well with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Although she’s struggled at times to finish at the rim, Nelson-Ododa make five of her seven shots.

Crystal Dangerfield scored a quiet 15 points along with a team-high eight assists. As a team, UConn assisted on 32 of their 39 baskets.

Next, UConn embarks on a two-game road trip starting at Tulsa on Sunday at 3 p.m.