Blue Demon star forward Annie Samorrow against Husky star forward Aaliyah Edwards.
A 6-foot-1 scoring machine and a 6-3 all-around power threat.
The No. 5 Huskies face their first frontcourt challenge against DePaul in the Big East. Monday’s matchup is also the final preparation before traveling to Knoxville and facing longtime rival Tennessee on Thursday.
DePaul has never beaten UConn during the Geno Auriemma era, but the Blue Demons were a second away from knocking out the Huskies in Chicago last January.
“It’s DePaul, and when you play DePaul, you don’t have a script,” said Auriema. “When they come in, you never know what will happen, so just keep your eyes open. You have to be ready for anything against them.”
UConn was shorthanded at DePaul last year. Without Paige Buckers and Aubrey Griffin, the game saw both Kristin Williams (missed 3 games due to COVID-19) and Aji Fudd (missed 11 games due to foot injury) playing the first game. recorded.
This year, Husky is omitted again — this time without Ducharme.
The sophomore has missed the past six games due to a concussion. Due to the serious nature of the concussion, she remains sidelined with no timeline for return. Brady is also not included.
Freshman Ayanna Patterson is on the verge of returning to action after suffering a concussion in a game against Xavier on January 5. She has returned to her practice and participated in pre-game warm-ups in her uniform for the past two games as part of her recovery.
However, after winning their last 10 games, including playing the last two games with just seven players, UConn showed that their lack of rotation had no effect on their skill on the court. To prove that, the Huskies have him four games in ten days.
“It’s going to be a big test for us, but we’re ready,” said Edwards. “And we don’t have a perfect team, but we really need to play to our strengths, not let down, just be fighters.”
Now, back to Monday’s frontcourt matchup.
UConn have outdone their opponents in the paint in all but one game this year (Notre Dame are ahead 46-16). Edwards and his 6-5 Dorka he leads the team in rebounding with Juhaas holding the post (Juhaas 10.6 per game in his 12 games, Edwards 9.4 per game in his 19). ). Also, Fudd is his UConn top scorer, while Edwards is his current top scorer with 16.9 points per game.
Morrow is DePaul’s biggest threat as he also deals with injuries. She is the only Big East player of hers to average her double-digit rebounds (11.9) and points (25.2). And like Edwards, Morrow is more than just a power forward. She is also second in the conference with her 2.6 steals per game.
“She could get 50 tomorrow. If we keep the hell out of her, maybe we can keep her down to 35,” Auriemma said of Morrow. “She’s one of the really, really hard kids to keep in this country. She’s skilled. She plays hard. She’s competitive and a little bit edgy.”
Last year, Edwards went scoreless for eight minutes with just two rebounds for Chicago. Later in February, when the Huskies hosted DePaul on February 11, she scored 19 points in 30 minutes and had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Junior has grown even more this year.
She has led UConn in scoring in 7 of their last 11 games. Edwards was named her MVP of the Phil Her Knight Legacy Tournament and a Women’s Showcase in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Having failed to achieve a double-double in her sophomore season, she has her eight double-doubles so far this year.
At Clayton on Dec. 28, she became the first Husky to record 20 rebounds in a game in over 12 years.
Come Monday, Edwards will be ready for the challenge.
“(Edwards) has played very hard and has been consistent and has had an all-American season,” Auriemma said. “And you’ll probably need her more than ever.”
Maggie.Vanoni@hearstmediact.com @maggie_vanoni
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