Two days ago, the No. 2-seed Creighton Bluejays rallied down 12 points in the second half against the No. 10-seed Georgetown Hoyas. Three-pointers from Molly Mogensen, Mallory Brake and Kiani Lockett nearly started another in the fourth quarter of Monday’s Big East Championship Game.
Geno Auriemma, the 40th-year head coach of the No. 3 UConn Women’s Basketball team, called timeout after Lockett’s triple. It was the second time Connecticut surrendered nine points in three minutes.
That timeout came with 5:35 remaining in regulation; the Huskies allowed just seven points the rest of the game. Despite committing 17 turnovers, UConn captured their 23rd Big East Tournament championship crown with a 70-50 triumph over Creighton.
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Paige Bueckers joined elite company as one of four individuals with three Big East Player of the Year awards. Monday evening, Bueckers became the first with three Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. The two-time WBCA Coaches’ All-American created a new club with a game-high 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
“It is hard to do something that has never been done at UConn before,” Bueckers commented postgame. “But it is really a team award and a testament to the coaching staff, my teammates who do a whole bunch for me so that I am able to go out and perform alongside with them.”
Big East Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong averaged a double-double through the Huskies’ first two tournament games. The 10-time Big East Freshman of the Week tacked on one more, her ninth on the season, in the championship clash. Strong scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, complementing it with an aggressive defense that rejected three shots and had two steals.
“Maybe the first 5-6 minutes of the third period, I thought you saw something you have not seen yet this year,” Auriemma said about the 6-foot-2 forward. “We are going to need that if we want to win the games that I think we need to win. We are going to need Sarah [Strong] to be exactly like she was this weekend.”
Big East All-Tournament Team selection Azzi Fudd also had 13 points at a 4-10 clip while dishing out two assists. After burying two triples in the first two games combined, Fudd erupted from downtown with three long-range buckets.
Sophomore guard KK Arnold supplied a critical spark off the bench with seven points, five rebounds and three steals. Despite being shut out, fellow sophomore Ashlynn Shade grabbed two offensive rebounds. Graduate guard Kaitlyn Chen matched the swift Wisconsin native in scoring with seven points and a shot from downtown.
“The way that we have played together, we have contributions from a lot of people. Some of the contributions are on offense, some are on defense, some do not fit in the box score,” Auriemma said after the confetti fell. “It has been a whole team effort. The defense starts it, and then that gets our offense going. When it is going like that, it looks really really great.”
The Bluejays scored at least 70 points in their two previous Big East Tournament contests. UConn held Creighton to their second-fewest points and forced as many turnovers as field goals made at 19.
“Playing them is always a challenge, but a really good test for us, especially going into the rest of March to get our defense and our communication … locked down tight,” the 2021 Class of No. 1 recruit stated. “I think that showed tonight.”
Lauren Jensen and Morgan Maly guided Creighton in their second Big East Championship Game appearance. Jensen landed five shots for a team-best 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Maly, meanwhile, picked up 12 points on 4-14 shooting. Mogensen supported both seniors with seven points and six rebounds.
The highly anticipated championship clash started as a game of runs. The Huskies opened on an 11-0 run; the Bluejays countered with seven straight points.
Jensen scored the seventh and last point at the free-throw line right out of the media timeout. Bueckers, who only took one shot in the game’s first 6.5 minutes, punched back with a personal 8-0 run. Creighton landed a two-pointer on consecutive possessions following their first timeout, but Fudd’s two threes gave Connecticut a 27-11 lead after one quarter.
The Huskies, who ended the frame on a 16-4 run, did not even score half as many points in the second period. Yet UConn’s tight defense maintained their grip between both periods. Despite committing twice as many turnovers as the Bluejays, the Huskies again held their opponent to just 11 points. The Minnesota native and Fudd crossed double figures as Connecticut grabbed an 18-point halftime advantage.
Bueckers and Strong provided most of the offense in the third quarter. Both former No. 1 recruits accounted for all five of the Huskies’ field goals and 11 of their 13 points in the period. Arnold converted two free throws for UConn’s other points.
Creighton trailed by 21 points with 9:15 remaining in regulation, but three triples in less than three minutes pulled them within 14. The Huskies did not let the Bluejays cut the deficit any further, though. Bueckers made two free throws, then landed a third-chance floater as Connecticut punched their ticket to their 36th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
March Madness is on deck. Who the 31-3 Huskies face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and when will not be determined until Sunday evening. Right now all anyone knows is that UConn’s next game will take place at Gampel Pavilion.
“I feel like we are heading in the right direction with our momentum heading into the tournament,” Bueckers expressed.
The Huskies have at least 10 days off between now and their next contest. Even with tougher competition coming up, the 30-time conference tournament champion will have something to enjoy.
“Our guys were pretty darn good defensively and we were really, really good offensively when we needed to be,” Auriemma quipped. “It is going to be fun thinking back on this.”
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