After years of the UConn women blowing through their opponents like cheap tissues, it’s difficult to be surprised by a final score anymore. On Monday evening, following a 100-56 dismantling of #7 Ohio State (on the road), the reaction could be summarized as “yeah, that seems about right.”
It’s a strange phenomenon. As coach Geno Auriemma has discussed in the past, when his Huskies blow out a high-caliber opponent, basketball fans react with a yawn. Yet if they were to struggle — or God-forbid lose — he and his players would be bombarded with questions about their effort, mettle and character.
It seems the best compromise is to find new ways to revel in the brilliance. While the final score (or an approximation of it) was to be expected, there were spectacular basketball moments on display that deserve to be acknowledged.
Superhuman Breanna Stewart scored 24 points in only 25 minutes. She also recorded nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks. And yet, if you’re a believer in the inglorious +/- statistic, she was one of the Huskies’ least productive players (+6). Point guard Moriah Jefferson was +39. That is certifiably nuts.
Jefferson dazzled on Monday, scoring 21 points on 10-15 shooting and buzzing around the court like a hummingbird.
And still, the most impressive player in a UConn uniform may have been Gabby Williams who registered a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, added four assists and four steals and bullied Ohio State in the paint.
As a team, UConn shot 56.9 percent from the floor and held Ohio State to 33.3 percent. In the second half, when the Huskies officially ran the Buckeyes off their home court, UConn shot over 62 percent.
UConn will play their home-opener next Monday against Kansas State in Hartford. They will win, and some will complain, but the best way to enjoy this team is not to monitor the scoreboard, but watch the enduring brilliance that takes place when Auriemma’s squad is firing on all cylinders.
Someday, the outcomes will not feel so predetermined. UConn will either fall to Earth, or their competitors will figure out how to rise to meet them. But not today and not tomorrow. In the meantime, try to enjoy the near-perfection happening when this team takes the court.
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