Hartford — Aubrey Griffin intercepted a North Carolina State pass. UConn Women’s Basketball Sunday afternoon team bench at the XL Center.
She dribbled the ball up the court and laid it up in haste. Less than 20 seconds later, when the Wolfpack had their next possession, Griffin stole the ball again and scored.
Not to be outdone, fellow forward Aaliyah Edwards made two straight layups to extend UConn’s lead from 3 to 7 to end the first half.
when the husky is pulled away 91-69 win over All-American state North Carolina, a lot of focus was on Azzie Fudd’s 32 points and Nika Mule’s program-record 15 assists. Still, it was the forward play that set the tone for UConn (3-0).
play without Dorka Jukhash (broken thumb), the Husky was thin up front. Still, Griffin and Edwards were key contributors on both ends of the floor.
Griffin had a career-high six steals, Edwards had his second double-double of the year (20 points, 12 rebounds) and freshman Ayanna Patterson had five off the bench.
UConn beat NC State 38-26.
Griffin is a combo guard/forward, but Sunday showed UConn coach Geno Auriemma His post player will not only stand up when needed, but will be able to hold the forts down without Juhas for the time being.
“It’s not quite right now, so the post players will decide the fate of the season,” Auriemma said on Sunday. I know it’s going to be a struggle to shoot, because it always is… so we’re going to go as far as the post players take us, so they’ve got to be great every night. Hmm. “
Juhas she broke her thumb During UConn’s game against Texas No. 3 last Monday. The injury will cause her to miss at least three of her games (including Sunday’s victory over North Carolina) until she recovers.
Before the injury, Juhász and Edwards were leading UConn with 10.0 rebounds. Juhász was leading the frontcourt averaging 33.5 minutes per game.
Huskies lacks the size of us in Juhász (at 6ft 5, she is UConn’s tallest starter), but gains speed and agility in her absence.
Griffin started in place of Juhaas on Sunday in his sixth career start since January 31, 2021.
The redshirt juniors, who missed all of last season due to injury, wasted no time in stoking UConn’s energy on both sides of the court. At halftime, Griffin scored his five steals, a game-high, as he was one of UConn’s three top scorers (6 points).
A quarter later she added six more points (marking her third straight game in double figures) and added another steal. This marked her career-high six steals.
“Man, she’s one whirlwind out there,” said Auriemma. “…She had a great shoot this morning. She was all over the place. I really challenged her to play destructive, crazy, crazy, play relentlessly, play carefree, just play, be a factor let’s go.”
Nika Mule added: “Today Aubrey was a beast. I loved it. Nothing new. She’s doing what she does. She’s in practice. I do it every day. I could see it today.”
Griffin played 32 minutes on Sunday, his most in a single game since playing 32 minutes against Georgetown on January 23, 2021. She also had season highs in rebounds (6) and assists (2). 6 rebounds. Griffin said he attacks with the same spirit and energy every game, but Auriemma said her Sunday performance boosted her confidence and she said last year before she got hurt she could play like she used to. I hope you will be convinced.
“It’s a process… she’s trying to remember when she was playing really well[before she got injured]both physically and mentally,” Auriema said. I hope it serves as a reminder of all that she can do.We don’t have anyone like her.Neither did they, so that was pretty special.
Edwards reached 20 points for the first time since he scored 24 on Butler as a freshman on February 27, 2021. It was also in her freshman year that she last recorded her 12+ rebounds (her 12-to-high point on March 21, 2021).
“Bring Dorka out, Aaliyah was amazing tonight,” Auriema said. “That’s it. You can’t be good because you can’t be good anymore. So between her offensive, defensive, floor run, I mean everything. She’s like a freshman.” Played, she’s an All-American type of player, like an All-American type of performance.”
Junior has been upping her game earlier this season after deciding to focus on UConn this fall instead of battling Team Canada in the World Cup. She dedicates her attack every game and she challenges herself to play at a higher level than she did at this time last year.
“I’m certainly proud of myself,” Edwards said. For my team, I just had to play well and just come out and do what I do best.”
The Huskies are set to compete in the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament in Portland, Oregon this weekend, but Sunday’s performances from Griffin and Edwards showed UConn’s frontcourt is in good shape until Juhasz’s return. was
Maggie.Vanoni@hearstmediact.com @maggie_vanoni
