Paige Bueckers, Aaliyah Edwards Shut Down Louisville Cardinals and UConn Doubters

The University of Connecticut Huskies battled it out against the Louisville Cardinals in a home game at the XL Centre on Saturday. The Huskies entered the game with a 6-3 tally thanks to a late surge with the help of their guard Paige Bueckers against the Ball State Cardinals and the North Carolina Tar Heels. On the other hand, the Cardinals had an awe-inspiring 10-1 record before entering the XL Centre.

The match was much anticipated since UConn was ranked at the 17th position in the AP Polls whereas Louisville occupied the 18th spot. The UConn decimated the Cardinals by a respectable margin of 86-62.

How did the Huskies perform?

Their guard Bueckers and Aubrey Griffin stood out as both basketed 20 and 25 points respectively. There was also a lot of contribution from their forward Aaliyah Edwards who smoked 22 points. Though the Cardinals guard Kiki Jefferson tried to stop the Huskies’ rampage by dropping 19 points, it was ultimately the Huskies who had the upper hand in the game.

The Huskies started the match with a 4-0 lead which was easily equaled by the Cardinals with their two back-to-back two pointers. Learning the lessons from their previous match, the Huskies showed good positioning and looked for open spaces. Bueckers then helped them edge past the Cardinals with a 16-15 stat. The first half went quickly from coast to coast with both the teams looking to attack. It ended with the Huskies leading the game with a 28-27 margin.

The second half started with equal neck-to-neck competition as both teams continued to battle for supremacy. Bueckers again appeared in the spotlight since she was very quick with her blocks and also contributed with her three-pointers.

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The Cardinals needed to amp up their efforts if they looked to make any difference in this game. The UConn guard Aubrey Griffin too looked to complement Bueckers with her tactics. The first half thus ended with the Huskies having a 46-42 lead. 

The Huskies have been down this season with four major players getting injured namely – Azzi Fudd, Ayanna Patterson, Jana El Alfy and Caroline Ducharme. With this injury-plagued season, the Huskies tried their best and ultimately came on top thanks to exemplary performances by Bueckers, Edwards, and Griffin. While Bueckers might her missed her friend Fudd, they certainly didn’t feel the lack of Fudd, as Griffin formed a trio with Bueckers and Edwards, scoring 67 points. 

However, Jefferson was also applauded for being the one-woman army for her team as her efforts went in vain. The Geno Auriemma-team also had their guard Nika Mühl providing 10 assists in the match, the highest from any team, which completely sealed the game in the Huskies favor.

What’s next for Huskies?

Now the Huskies would be looking for their next game against the Butler Bulldogs, and now that things have started to work in their favor, they would be keen to have a spectacular run from here. The Huskies fans are already wishing their team to perform consistently so that they have a chance at winning the Championship trophy.

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Overall, a great performance from Paige Bueckers & Co. and an exciting moment for all fans to see their team get back on track.