INDIANAPOLIS — The No. 1-ranked UConn women’s basketball team flexed its talent and depth, dominating Butler and cruising to a 94-47 victory Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Huskies used their swarming pressure defense to force Butler into turnover after turnover. Midway through the second quarter Butler had 17 turnovers and just 14 points. The Bulldogs finished with 29 turnovers leading to 48 UConn points off the miscues.
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Ashlynn Shade led UConn with four steals. Sarah Strong showcased her all-around ability with 15 points and a team-high seven assists and six rebounds.
What makes UConn’s defense so tough is the strength, length and athleticism of every player. Every pass is contested. There’s a player swiping at the ball the length of the court, in-between every dribble, and there’s absolutely no letup when subs come into the game. That elite level of competition is something a rebuilding Butler program simply cannot replicate in practice.
“The No. 1 thing for us is to pass and catch,” Butler coach Austin Parkinson said. “It sounds simple, but they really get into you. It was a very physical game the way they were being allowed to play. So, we had a lot of bobbles and balls knocked away.
“They did ramp things up and we did not adjust very well.”
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It took a few minutes for UConn to settle into its signature brand of basketball. The teams traded baskets before Saniya Jackson‘s three-point play and Mallory Miller’s 3-pointer put Butler up 10-6 with 6:56 left in the first. The Huskies closed the first quarter with a 22-2 run, taking control of the game.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said he liked the way his defense responded and shut down the Bulldogs’ offense.
“I thought defensively we were pretty locked in,” Auriemma said. “The way Butler plays, they’re very disciplined offensively and they run some great stuff. We were determined to disrupt all that and make them have to play more individually rather than play as a team.
“I thought we did a great job of that in the first half.”
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Rewind: UConn women’s basketball vs Butler recap: Ashlynn Shade, Ayanna Patterson return
With the game in hand, 2022 Indiana Miss Basketball and Homestead grad Ayanna Patterson entered the game in the third quarter. Patterson returned Nov. 9 against Florida State, playing for the first time in 960 days after missing two full seasons to injury. Patterson converted a three-point play on her first offensive possession, drawing loud cheers from a pro-UConn crowd at Hinkle.
Sunday’s game was a homecoming for Patterson and Shade, a Noblesville native who had more than 100 supporters watching her play, and Patterson also had a healthy number of people watching her back in her hometown of Fort Wayne. A healthy Patterson gives the Huskies another long and athletic forward to add to its already uber-talented frontcourt. The Huskies are taking things slow with Patterson, the 10 minutes against Butler is the most she’s played all season. Watching her contribute after such a long road back gave a boost to the entire team.
“She’s one of the hardest workers that we have,” Auriemma said of Patterson. “There’s a level of respect that our players have for her, and our coaches have for her because of how much she’s had to fight through. It’s been so long since she’s played that everybody is trying to support her as much as we can. So, it was great to see her have some fun out there.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: UConn women’s basketball score vs Butler, stats, Ayanna Patterson injury
