SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Chrisryn Williams said it best.
“It was just a total team effort,” said the Connecticut women’s junior who found her way to the game-high 27 points in the 92-72 Husky win over 5th-seeded Iowa Saturday in the opening game of the Sweet 16 at the San Antonio Alambdone, and with UConn gaining its 15th straight Elite Eight in its 26th appearance at the Big Dance.
Freshman star Paige Bueckers, already announced as a All-America and the favorite for Player of the Year, did her part with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but she had help as Williams did a stellar job on guarding Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leader scorer, and although Clark scored 20 points, nine below her season average, was only 3-for-21 from the field and 4-for-12 from beyond the arch. Her team did hit 3s, but couldn’t compete with the Huskies’ inside strength and outside shooting, and the quick hands of UConn on defense. It was a reunion for friends Bueckers and Clark, but the triumph went to Bueckers.
Offensively, Williams, national high school Player of the Year in 2018, was good for 12-of-23 from the field and added three 3s on nine tries. Then there was junior Elvia Westbrook coming close to a triple-triple with 17 points, nine boards and 10 assists, while 6-3 freshman Alliyah Edwards added 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting and took down seven rebounds. Post Olivia Nelson-Ododa had only four points, but the 6-foot-5 junior scrubbed the boards for 11 rebounds and handed out seven assists while also keeping Iowa out of the post.
In all, the Huskies, who led 24-18 after one quarter and 49-35 at halftime, dished out 31 assists and outrebounded the 20-10 Hawkeyes 41-21. They led 72-61 after three quarters, and they dominated both ends of the boards to score 18 follow-up baskets and keep Iowa from hardly any second shots. When sophomore Anna Makurat tossed in two-straight 3s, the lead rose to 80-68, and when Bueckers let fly with back-to-back 3s, the advantage was 87-70.
Time after time, the UConn (26-1) defense forced turnovers that had Bueckers orchestrating the fast break. And with legendary head coach Geno Auriamma back after missing the first two rounds by testing positive for the coronavirus pandemic, just poured in on, and it was no doubt a superb team performance.
Now was No. 1-seeded Baylor perhaps lookin ahead while the now problem was a pesky 6th-seeded Michigan. The Bears (26-2) led for most of the way, up by 14 points in the second quarter, and by 10 at the intermission.
The Wolverines (19-9) were stubborn, they got the ball inside to senior Naz Hallion and they found her way for 22 points, and their defense kept Baylor from getting the ball inside. It was the Bears taking a 8-point lead early in the fourth quarter when Michigan went on 10-3 run to trim the gap to three points at 63-60, and then it became a tussle as Baylor went with more aggressiveness on defense and tried to penetrate.
It was back-and-forth before the Wolverines went in front 69-67 on a short jumper by Hallion, but the Bears responded with a 8-2 run behind Nalena Smith and Jonai Carrington, but Michigan answered back and forced overtime, which was also close but the Bears outscored the Wolverines, 15-12.
The Mercado Region filled up the last two Saturday spots, with No.1-seed North Carolina State jumping out in front with the game’s first seven points against 4th-seeded Indiana, and the Indy underdogs hoping to succeed where Big 10 rivals Iowa and Michigan failed earlier today, the Hawkeyes to UConn and Michigan to Baylor.
This one was along the same lines as the previous contest, with Indiana surging back from the poor start to gain a 18-15 lead after one quarter, then upped it to 34-28 at the intermission. This was behind a balanced offense that mixed up the Hoosiers (21-5) outside game, and some neat passing that offset the size of the Wolfpack (25-2).
But down a dozen points in the early part of the fourth quarter put NC State in gear. It got the ball inside to Emily Kronone and she used her 6-3 size to turn in three-straight baskets and trim the lead to 68-62. Then it became two when Kronone stepped to the foul line and was good on both attempts. But Indiana then did the same when Kelli Morgan turned a personal foul into a one-and-one and made the first to put the lead at 73-70.
Now the Wolfpack had a time out with 13.5 left, and behind by three points. The ball came into play, Lilly Regan could send up a meaningless heave-o and the Hoosiers were on the way to their first Elite Eight, and to play the winner of the top-seeded South Carolina, 6th-seeded Georgia Tech game that follows. It’s a surprising Indiana team that came away with five players in double figures.
In the day’s finale, it was the other Mercado semifinal matching 2nd-seeded Texas A & M (27-2) with 3rd-seeded Arizona (18-5). This figured to be a close clash when it involved a No. 2 versus a No. 3, with the winner to face surprising Indiana.
The Aggies commanded an early lead, ahead 19-11 after one quarter and 36-31 at the half. But it was then that the Wildcats went into gear, going on a 23-11 run to turn a back-and-fourth game into a 74-59 victory. and with a date in the Elite Eight versus the Hoosiers.
Today’s four Sweet 16 contests that will fill the Etite Eight field have No. 1-seeded South Carolina against 5th-seeded Georgia Tech, No. 1-seeded Stanford facing No. 6 Missouri State, 2nd-seeded Louisville meeting up with 4th-seed Oregon, and 2nd-seeded Maryland taking on 6th-seeded Texas.
