PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) — Christyn Williams was just about unstoppable in the inaugural sport in the women’s Battle for Atlantis event.
Williams scored a career-higher 31 points on 12-for-14 shooting, and No. 2 UConn beat Minnesota 88-58 on Saturday.
“Over a 4-yr time period when she’s very good, she’s genuinely, genuinely good,” coach Geno Auriemma reported. “We’re hoping to get her to be regular adequate to be like that extra frequently. If we can get Christyn to be like that that most evenings we’ll be a truly rough crew to enjoy towards.”
Evina Westbrook added 16 points for the Huskies (2-), who led 31-30 midway through the 2nd quarter just before closing the 50 % on a 16-5 operate. Williams scored the very first 9 points of that burst. The Huskies saved the spurt going in the 3rd, scoring the first 16 points of the quarter.
The Huskies held Minnesota (3-2) scoreless for nearly the initial 6 minutes of the next 50 percent.
The tournament is staying performed in a transformed ballroom at the Atlantis vacation resort. It was at first scheduled to be played for the 1st time last 12 months, but it was scuttled by the coronavirus. Hundreds of UConn supporters created the excursion down to the Bahamas to look at their workforce play. The men’s match will be enjoying at the vacation resort for the 10th calendar year future 7 days.
UConn jumped out to a 12- direct and looked poised to operate absent with the match right before Minnesota bought likely behind Sara Scalia. The junior guard begun connecting from deep, hitting five of her 6 3-issue makes an attempt in the very first 50 percent, which includes a several move-back again pictures.
“She gets a sizzling hand and at a specific position you just enable her go,” Minnesota mentor Lindsay Whalen claimed. “She was large. We cut it to 1 and ended up suitable back again in it but Christyn Williams hits a large 3 just after that and they go on a operate to stop the 50 percent.”
Scalia finished with 17 factors for Minnesota.
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Minnesota: The Gophers had been aggressive at periods when they have been hitting from outdoors. Minnesota created 9 of 15 from guiding the arc in the to start with fifty percent.
UConn: Except for a tiny hiccup in the next quarter, the Huskies looked like a single of the very best groups in the country on a day that sophomore sensation Paige Bueckers had an off recreation. Bueckers concluded with 8 points, 8 helps, 6 rebounds, a few steals and two blocked pictures.
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Bueckers hails from Minnesota. Whilst UConn was her dream faculty, she did help the Gophers.
“Obviously becoming from my residence condition, my hometown, I went to video games expanding up,” Bueckers claimed. “I’m just a big supporter from in which I’m from.”
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Whalen played on the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic groups less than Auriemma and credits him for helping her reach the up coming degree as a player.
“Geno gave me a real chance in my vocation,” Whalen explained. “First of all, to give me the possibility to make the nationwide team in 2010. … From that issue, the trajectory from my actively playing profession was a ton distinctive. I owe him a large amount. I have a whole lot of respect for him and what he’s accomplished for our game and what he’s done for me individually in my career.”
Whalen performed in opposition to Auriemma’s UConn team in 2004 when she assisted Minnesota attained its lone Closing Four. The Huskies arrived away with the get.
UP Subsequent
Minnesota faces the loser of South Florida-Syracuse on Sunday.
UConn faces the winner of South-Florida-Syracuse on Sunday.