UConn women’s basketball crushes Memphis, 94-55

In UConn women’s basketball’s first meeting with the Memphis Tigers this season, Memphis kept it close, down just three points with six minutes left in the game. That was not the case on Friday night, as the Huskies effortlessly took care of the Tigers, 94-55, at Gampel Pavilion.

Anna Makurat got her fifth start of the season, her first since Nov. 24 against Ohio State — the Huskies’ fourth game of the season. She seized the opportunity with a career-high eight assists in the first half before finishing with 11 assists — the most of any UConn player this season.

UConn put its stamp on the game early, making its first three baskets while Memphis missed its first six attempts. The Tigers kept it close through the first media timeout before a 14-2 run at the end of the first quarter had the Huskies up 16 after 10 minutes.

The end of the quarter brought no solace for Memphis. An 18-0 run put the game out of reach before halftime, as the Huskies went into the break up 31.

The third quarter was all Megan Walker. The junior totaled 10 points and two rebounds in the first half and then exploded for 14 points and nine rebounds in the third frame alone. She finished with team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, good for her eighth double-double of the season.

Like most AAC contests, the final period was nothing more than a formality as the Huskies cruised to a 39-point victory. As a team, UConn shot 59 percent from the field while holding the Tigers to just 32 percent shooting.

Christyn Williams had her best performance from beyond the arc this season, hitting 4-of-5 on her way to 20 points. Olivia Nelson-Ododa recorded 19 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting along with seven rebounds and four assists — turning in by far her strongest performance of the new year. Molly Bent tied her career-high with 10 points in 18 minutes of play as well.

With the win, UConn extends its streak of games without back-to-back losses to 983, dating back to 1993.

Next, the Huskies gear up for another high profile matchup against No. 1 South Carolina on Monday. UConn will travel down to Columbia for the 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPN2.

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