NEW YORK (AP) — Geno Auriemma and the No. 1 UConn Huskies have the luxury of not only having great players, but depth too this season.
That has provided the Hall of Fame coach the ability to turn up the defense and stifle opponents — something the Huskies haven’t really been able to do the past few seasons because of a short bench due to injuries.
“We didn’t have the ability to play at a level of intensity that we wanted to play because we had to save everyone for 38-39 minutes,” Auriemma said after a 90-64 win over No. 11 Iowa on Saturday in the Women’s Champions Classic. “We didn’t have the number of people to run them in there and be able to go back to who we used to be.”
All of Auriemma’s great teams that went on to win championships played stellar defense — something that was sometimes overlooked because of their incredible offensive prowess. The 1995 team, the ones with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles and Maya Moore and then the Breanna Stewart four-peat all played great defense.
“We’ve had a lot of identities over the years, a lot of people are more talking about us offensively,” he said. “We had to play the way the hand was dealt, we played a little bit differently. Now we’re back to were we play the way I like playing.”
The Huskies had 17 steals, including six by sophomore Sarah Strong, and forced 26 turnovers.
“Our goal every game is to disrupt what the other team is doing,” said Azzi Fudd, who had four steals. “Our goal has been to have a defensive identity. Take those chances, take those risks, trust each other.”
The Huskies (12-0) are giving up just under 53 points a game and that number could get even lower as they most likely will only play two ranked teams until the NCAA Tournament. That’s about the same as last season’s group that won the school’s 12th national championship.
Iowa coach Jan Jensen was impressed with what she saw with UConn and its pressure defense and how relentless they are.
“Most teams when you advance it and get it over (halfcourt) in nine seconds, they come drop their shoulders. They do not. It’s like they get you across that court and then they just get a little bit more intense. That’s what impresses me.”
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