A mouth-watering clash between Iowa and UConn is taking place at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. After South Carolina stormed their way into the national championship game with a win over NC State, both these teams now have to battle it out to determine who will advance through. While all eyes were on the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark and UConn’s formidable No.5 Paige Bueckers, it has been an epic exhibition in defense by the Huskies’ No.10 Nika Muhl who grabbed a lot of attention.

The 2022 and 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year was at her absolute best as she was able to contain a fierce Caitlin Clark in the 1st half. Her impeccable defensive skills were able to shadow the 6ft guard with ease.

Much was expected from the 22-year-old after she finished her previous season being UConn’s leading single-season assists record holder with 284 assists. In addition to this, she also held UConn’s single-game assist record (15) in a game vs. NC State, on Nov. 20, 2022.

Following this, she carried on her tremendous form as a senior. In the 38 games she has played so far, she is the leading distributor in the locker room. Evidently, she has dished out 246 assists in total while maintaining an average of 6.5 per contest. Consequently, this makes her the 7th best passer in the country at present. A lot of her tenacity comes from her background.

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The 22-year-old hails from Croatia and even played professionally before getting a scholarship from UConn in 2019. Her importance and impact on the team has only grown over the years. However, as per trusted sources, this might be Muhl’s final season with the Huskies. Nonetheless, before bowing out, she put up one last valiant effort and kept fighting till the end.

Nika Muhl’s final ride

The 22-year-old was on the hardwood for 40 minutes tonight. During that time, she was able to make a noteworthy offensive contribution, which included 9 points and 7 assists. Defensively, she was able to grab 5 rebounds along with 3 steals. Muhl also came in handy with her shooting as she was 3 of 7 from the field and buried 50% of her beyond-the-arc attempts. Unfortunately, her efforts weren’t enough as UConn came up short and got knocked out with their 69-71 defeat.

A heartbreaking exit from the tournament means UConn won’t be lifting their 12th title this year. Moreover, this will probably be the last time fans get to witness this golden generation of players taking the court together. While Bueckers decided to spend another year with the Huskies, only time will tell who will play alongside her.

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