UConn Huskies at Cincinnati Bearcats

No. 3 UConn clamps down on Cincy in drubbing

Connecticut always wins.

Stefanie Dolson scored 15 points in limited time on Saturday night, and Connecticut's tough, physical defense allowed only nine points in the first half, setting up a 67-31 victory over Cincinnati.

UConn (18-1, 5-1 Big East) has won six in a row since a 73-72 loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 5. The Huskies were coming off a 30-point win over No. 4 Duke on Monday, outscoring the Blue Devils 47-19 in the second half to send them to their first loss of the season.

They put this one away in the first half, allowing a season-low nine points.

"They're struggling right now, obviously," Auriemma said. "They've had some injuries and they're having trouble scoring points. We're probably not the team you want to play if you're having trouble scoring points."

Breanna Stewart added 10 points for UConn, which dominated the boards 49-28.

The Bearcats (8-11, 0-6) have lost six in a row overall. They've been held to 45 points or fewer in each of last four games, including a 72-33 loss at Louisville. Cincinnati's problem: A few players are hurt and nobody can score besides Dayeesha Hollins, who leads the team with 16.3 points per game. No one else averages more than 7.7 points.

Hollins finished with seven points on 2-of-11 shooting. Alyesha Lovett had a team-high nine points.

UConn is 8-0 all-time against Cincinnati, winning by 21, 10, 37, 31, 31, 34, 43 and 36 points. Coach Jamelle Elliott, a former UConn player and assistant to Auriemma, fell to 0-4 against her former team. Auriemma has never lost to a former player or coach.

They went out to dinner on Saturday night to catch up. They had a friendly and animated exchange at midcourt after the pregame introductions. Then, Elliott watched the Huskies' defense push her team around and take it apart.

"That makes us really unstoppable," Dolson said. "We're one of those teams that our defense sparks our offense. We're able to score points in transition and play the game we like to play."

"We continue to struggle shooting the basketball," Elliott said. "In the second half, they didn't pressure us as much as they did in the first half, and they played zone, which is what we needed to have guys knock down some open shots."

The Huskies led 41-9 at halftime, the fewest points UConn has allowed in an opening half this season. Hollins took five shots in the half and missed all of them. Elliott repeatedly yelled, "Get open!" and covered her face with both hands after one particularly bad possession.

"You always look at the other team and what you can do to make it easier to score," Dolson said. "They did a good job getting me the ball inside."

Connecticut closed the half with a 24-1 run that included points from six players, underscoring the Huskies' depth. It was 58-13 early in the second half before Jasmine Whitfield hit Cincinnati's first 3-pointer of the game after the Bearcats missed their first 10 shots from behind the arc.

"They're deeper this year with Breanna Stewart coming off the bench," Elliott said. "I was telling Geno this last night: I think 1-through-10 they're able to maintain that level that those starters play with. The last two or three years, he hasn't had that depth. This year, I think he has that. The players that were playing a lot of minutes last year also have upped their game."

How can I watch Huskies vs. Bearcats?

• TV Channel: Huskies vs Bearcats 2021 College Basketball, week 12, is broadcasted on .
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Location: Cincinnati, OH
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