“I’m not looking forward to Friday,” Barnes Arico responded, according to Auriemma.
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“Maybe we should have a couple drinks, gamble a little and call it a day,” Auriemma said.
Well, on Friday night the trainers weren’t at the craps or blackjack tables inside the Mohegan Sun Casino. No drinks (at least not during the 40 minutes of the contest). Instead, they walked down the sideline and stood next to their respective benches.
Each one faced the challenge they expected.
The No. 1 Huskies prevailed 72-69, but blew an 18-point halftime lead and led by just two entering the fourth quarter. UConn led by 10 with 2:41 left, seemingly en route to a fifth straight double-digit victory, but even that cushion evaporated when a late burst from Michigan cut the Huskies’ lead to one with 12.1 seconds left.
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A win keeps the defending national champions undefeated on the season (that’s the positive), but two UConn teams showed up on Friday. The former stifled the Wolverines throughout the first half, holding Michigan to five points in the first quarter. Second had seven turnovers in the final 9:30 of the third quarter and needed a Sarah Strong layup with just over six minutes left in the third to break an 18-2 Michigan run that lasted more than nine minutes.
Azzi Fudd’s experience paid off in the final moments of the game. He finished with a game-high 31 points on 9-of-20 shooting. He crossed the 30-point mark for the fourth time in his career and made all four of his free throws in the final 30 seconds. Strong finished with a double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds, playing a key role on the interior.
Michigan’s Syla Swords nearly led the Wolverines to a surprising victory. His barrage of late 3-pointers, and eight total on the night, kept Michigan in contention. But he finished with 29 points in a losing effort, with a turnover with one second remaining preventing the Wolverines from getting one last quality look.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Connecticut Huskies, Michigan Wolverines, women’s college basketball
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