No. 2 Huskies take early lead, dominate No. 1 Irish

Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, IND.

Geno Auriemma believes there’s a lot to like about Connecticut’s latest star in the making, freshman Christyn Williams.

Williams scored 16 of her season-high 28 points in the first quarter to help the No. 2 Huskies dominate No. 1 Notre Dame 89-71 on Sunday.

“Christyn adds a big dimension to our team,” Auriemma said of his 5-foot-11 guard from Little Rock, Arkansas. “She’s fearless. I was upset we didn’t give it to her more in the second quarter [when Williams had zero points]. I wish she was 6-3. She is one of the rare individuals that comes along that know who they are. She knows who she is.”

Williams hit 7 of 8 shots in the first quarter on way to making 11 of 16 in the game to lead five Huskies in double figures. Her 16 first-quarter points were one off her previous game high of 17.

It was Williams’ basket with 6:36 left in the first quarter that gave UConn an 8-6 lead that it would not relinquish against Muffet McGraw’s Irish (7-1), who saw their 28-game winning streak at home ended by the Huskies. UConn has all three victories against Notre Dame in its last 100 home games at Purcell Pavilion.

Napheesa Collier had 16 points along with 15 rebounds and three blocks, All-American Katie Lou Samuelson had 15 points after being held scoreless in the first half, Crystal Dangerfield scored 13 points and Megan Walker added 12 for the 7-0 Huskies.

“I thought Christyn Williams was phenomenal,” McGraw said of the player the Irish also tried to recruit. “She was the real difference in the game.”