UConn drops first game since 2014, falls to Michigan in 8-31 shooting night
The No. 2 Huskies are now 1-1 after a defensive collapse and poor perimeter shooting cost them at the No. 5 Wolverines.
By Oliver Bennett ·
The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team lost its first game of the season on Thursday, falling to No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The No. 2 Huskies are now 1-1, a record they had not held since 2014. They previously lost their first ranked matchup on Nov. 17, 2014, before winning the 2015 national title.
UConn struggled offensively against Michigan’s zone defense. The Huskies shot 8-for-31 from beyond the arc and committed 19 turnovers. They finished with 19 assists and no player other than Jovana Popovic successfully drove into the lane. Sarah Strong, the reigning national player of the year, sat out the entire second quarter due to foul trouble. She had only attempted one shot before picking up her third foul less than eight minutes into the game.
Coach Geno Auriemma described the loss as disappointing six times in the first three minutes of his postgame press conference. He said the team did not execute the game plan they had prepared. "We didn't even attempt to do the things that we had said must get done today, and that's the most disappointing part," Auriemma said.
Defensive issues contributed to the loss. Michigan took 24 free throw attempts compared to UConn’s seven. Auriemma noted that the team lost its defensive integrity and failed to guard opponents effectively. He admitted he should have pulled Strong after her second foul instead of her third. "We don't have the ability to respond right now," Auriemma said.
Strong scored 11 points in seven minutes after returning for the second half. KK Arnold started with five straight points but faded later. Freshman center Olivia Vukosa scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in over 10 minutes while Strong sat. Blanca Quiñonez played in her second game since returning from shoulder surgery.
UConn returns home to host No. 10 Iowa on Sunday. Eight of their next 10 games are against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. The team arrived back in Connecticut early Friday morning.
