UConn Women Defeat Georgetown to Claim Big East Championship

       The UConn Women defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 78-42 on Monday evening to capture the Big East Basketball Championship at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

       The championship win was the fourth in four years for the Huskies since the school returned to the Big East Conference.

       The game was dominated by Big East Player of the Year guard Paige Bueckers, who scored 27 points, grabbed four rebounds, provided three assists and blocked five shots.    However, the Huskies received significant contributions from all of the players in their limited lineup, with 13 points and eight rebounds from freshman forward Ice Brady, who substituted for injured All American senior Aaliyah Edwards.

       Freshman guards KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade each contributed 10 points while senior point guard Nika Muhl scored eight points with nine assists to add to UConn’s total.

       Graduate student forwards Graceann Bennett and Mya Bembry lead the Hoyas in scoring with 12 points each while senior guard Kelsey Ransom contributed nine points with three assists.

       The 26 point margin was the third in three tournament games where UConn defeated its opponent by 20 or more points.  The lead in the championship game was never in doubt as the Huskies scored the first eleven points in the first quarter.  The Huskies lead by 47-25 after the end of the second quarter.

        With the substantial margin enjoyed by UConn, Head Coach Geno Auriemma brought in freshman guard Quadence Samuels beginning in the second quarter to give his starters a rest and with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, brought in sophomore guard Ines Bettencourt to finish out the game.   The Huskies have had five players sustain season ending injuries this season and with Edwards on the bench with a broken nose, relied on only seven players to play the championship game.

       At the press conference following the game, Auriemma emphasized how difficult it was to play three tournament games with such a limited lineup but believed that the Huskies now had more good players on the team following Edward’s injury in the quarter final game versus Providence.

       At the same press conference, Paige Bueckers stated how excited she was to play in the upcoming NCAA Tournament after being sidelined with injuries for most of the 2022-2023 season.

       The Huskies completed the regular season 28-5 overall with an 18-0 record in the Big East and were ranked tenth in the country in Monday’s AP poll.