Friday, March 19, 2021 • DailyCampus.com 12

Heartbreak in D.C.: Huskies fall Field hockey takes down Quinnipiac by Karthik Iyer helped the Huskies maintain STAFF WRITER three shutouts this season thus in OT to undefeated Georgetown [email protected] far. A big shoutout must go to The UConn Huskies routed the defense as well. UConn also by Jacob Sondik shot, notching 11 in the second half the season in a much-needed equal- the in com- led 14-0 in penalty corner oppor- CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT alone, outshooting the Huskies 11-5, izer for her visiting Huskies to even manding fashion. The 6-0 vic- tunities. [email protected] and 15-6 overall in the game. This up the game at 1-1 at the 75-minute tory helped significantly bolster One of UConn’s strengths this the team’s morale after the loss Going into their conference has been a continuous trend for mark. season has been controlling the against . matchup with Georgetown, the Georgetown, signifi cantly outshoot- UConn would push the unde- tempo of the game and shift- The offense kicked into gear ing the game to the opposition’s UConn women’s soccer team looked ing their opponents on the season feated Hoyas into extra time, but early and struck often on the side of the field through con- to build on their biggest win of the 104-26, an o ensive attack that has only got one shot o the rest of the Bobcats’ home turf in Hamden, stant ball pressure and crisp season last Sunday, as they traveled led to their undefeated start. Along game following Harnett’s strike, as Conn. The first goal was scored aggressive passing. This knack to the nation’s capital to take on the with their su ocating o ensive Georgetown’s defense locked down at the 9:55 mark by Claire Jan- has allowed UConn to keep the Hoyas on Thursday afternoon. attack on the back of players like to put pressure on Palacios, who had dewerth who now has seven on defense in position when the oc- The Huskies (3-2-1, 1-2-1 Big East) Menta and sophomore forward stepped up for the Huskies time and the season. Sophie Hamilton casional mistake happens on the were forced to battle from behind Gina Vicari, the Hoyas came into time again throughout the game, and Aiyi Young displayed great offensive side of the ball. This from the jump, as senior forward the game with UConn on the back and the season. Despite her best ef- passing and teamwork to feed has allowed UConn to outshoot Jenna Menta gave UConn a taste of star goalkeeper Alyssa Navarette, forts, extra time belonged to Menta. Janderwerth for the assist. Just opponents by an average of 10.1 a few minutes later with 13:28 of its own early goal medicine that who had pitched clean sheets in the The senior from Somers, New shots per game. While UConn on the clock, Hamilton would they used to win their last two fi rst six games to anchor a strong York took matters into her own already connects on a remark- create some instant offense her- able 55.7% on their shots, their games, notching her third goal of defensive unit. hands to keep her Hoya squad self, scoring the second goal of shooting accuracy gets buffered the season four minutes in. The However, Navarette did not start unbeaten, breaking the hearts of the game unassisted. This goal by the fact that UConn is able o ensive struggles were a theme for Georgetown on Thursday, with Palacios and the Huskies with her was the first of her hat trick that to generate this many more goal for the Huskies in the fi rst half, Lauren Gallagher taking her place second goal of the game fi ve min- led the Huskies in scoring. Erica scoring opportunities than their registering one shot, but still were instead. After pressing deep into utes into extra time, simultaneous- Solomen also came up big with a opponents. This means that a only outshot 3-1 in the fi rst half as the second half, UConn did what ly snapping the UConn two-game score of her own at 26:17 as the rare poor shooting performance Georgetown went cold immediate- no other team had been able to do winning streak and pushing their recipient of another great pass may not definitively ensure a ly following the Menta goal. Goal- against Georgetown thus far in record to 7-0 and 5-0 in conference by Jandewerth. loss. These extra shots ultimate- keeper Randi Palacios bounced 2021: They put one in the back of the play. The Huskies will look to The Huskies showed out this ly lead to more goals scored and game. As a team, they racked up back from the early mistake, saving net. The goalscoring for the Huskies bounce back and avenge their early the rest is history. The key is to 30 shots, 20 of which were on the other Georgetown shots in the thus far has been a collective e ort, season defeat on Sunday afternoon, maintain this pressure against goal. This was in comparison to top-tier conference competition. half to keep the defi cit at one as the with di erent players stepping up as they return home to face the the Bobcats mustering up just UConn is more than capable. game went to half. each time UConn needed a big goal. at Joseph J. Mor- one shot on goal that was saved The Huskies get back to the Palacios’ afternoon was just get- This time, it was Jaqueline Harnett rone Stadium to try and hand their by Cheyenne Sprecher. Follow- turf on Sunday, March 21 at 3 ting started, as the Hoyas pestered for the Huskies, as the sophomore Big East rival their second loss of ing yesterday’s win, Sprecher p.m. to play Saint Joseph Univer- the UConn goalie with shot after defender notched her fi rst goal of the 2021 campaign. has now saved 13/19 goals and sity. Men’s : Huskies to take on Terps in first round of NCAA Tournament by Jorge Eckardt and the only other Terp to see over STAFF WRITER 20 minutes of action per game, is [email protected] the tallest of the bunch at 6-foot-8. Hamilton averages 6.8 points per It’s been fi ve years, but the UCo- game on 45.7% shooting from the nn Huskies are fi nally back in fi eld and 43.9% shooting from 3. March Madness. After a 15-7 sea- Out of the six main players on son, including an 11-6 Big East reg- Maryland, all of them can shoot the ular-season record and trip to the 3 — they do so to varying degrees of semifi nals in the conference tour- e ectiveness — but they’ve all tak- nament, UConn is a No. 7 seed. en at least 50 on the season. The Huskies fi nd themselves in If UConn’s going to win, they’re the East region, taking on the No. going to need to abuse their height 10 Maryland Terrapins in the fi rst advantage. If both Isaiah Whaley round. and Adama Sanogo start, UCo- “We had two goals going into nn will have two players standing the season, two major things we 6-foot-9 on the court together. Ty- wanted to accomplish,” UConn ler Polley, also 6-foot-9, is a lock to head coach Dan Hurley said. “First come o the bench, and Josh Carl- year back in the Big East we want- ton, who is 6-foot-11, will also likely ed compete at the top of the league. ’s Isaiah Whaley, rear, and James Bouknight react during the second half of the team’s NCAA see some decent minutes as well. We were able to do that in the reg- college basketball game against Creighton in the semifinals in the Big East men’s tournament Friday, March Aside from R.J. Cole, UConn ular season … and then making the 12, 2021, in New York. PHOTO BY FRANK FRANKLIN II, AP even has tall guards, with James NCAA Tournament were really and lost one to Northwestern who 43.4% shooting from the fi eld and of the group — is the only other Bouknight standing at 6-foot-5 and our two main goals for the year. fi nished No. 12. 33.5% shooting from three. Aaron Terp to average in the double dig- Tyrese Martin standing at 6-foot-6, That was a big step forward for our The Terps are one of the short- Wiggins (no relation to Andrew) its, putting up 10.9 points on 49.5% right on par with the entire Mary- program.” er teams UConn will play this is right behind him, averaging 14.0 shooting from the fi eld and 43.4% land lineup. Maryland fi nished the season season, regularly running out a points per game on 43.3% shooting shooting from 3. He also averages UConn’s outside shooting has 16-13 overall with a 9-11 record in starting-fi ve with no player tall- from the fi eld and 32.9% shooting 6.1 rebounds, a team-high. been inconsistent this season, but conference play, good for No. 9 in er than 6-foot-7. In fact, they have from 3. Darryl Morsell, the only se- they have an opportunity to pound the Big 10. The Terps picked up one just two players on the roster who Nick Albicocco, a writer for the nior out of the starters, averages 9 the ball inside vs. Maryland and win in the conference tournament, are 6-foot-9 or taller, and neither University of Maryland’s student points per game on 48.8% shooting really take advantage of the height beating Michigan State before fall- of them see any signifi cant play- newspaper “The Diamondback,” from the fi eld and 26.0% shooting they will have. ing to Michigan, who ended up as ing time if any. Galin Smith, who shared some thoughts over email from 3. Morsell also leads the team “The best way the Terps try to the No. 1 seed in the East region. is 6-foot-9, averaged just 14.2 min- on how Ayala and Wiggins are the with 2.8 assists per game and took counter UConn’s height advantage The Terps’ season has had its utes per game this season — and key to the Terps’ chances. home Big Ten defensive player of is by starting Galin Smith at the 5 ups and downs. They’ve picked up less than that during the Big Ten “If Aaron Wiggins and Eric Aya- the year honors. and Donta Scott at the 4,” Albicoc- some good wins, including a pair Tournament. Chol Marial, who is la are shooting well, the Terps will “He has the ability to lock up or co said. “These two, along with Jai- against tournament team Michigan 7-foot-2, averaged just 6.5 minutes, win,” Albicocco said. “The two at least limit Bouknight and make rus Hamilton, are the tallest play- State, one against tournament team and hasn’t seen the court in over a wild cards in my opinion is the it a long night for any UConn play- ers in UMD’s rotation since Coach Rutgers and one against tourna- month. play of Donta Scott and the ability er,” Albicocco said. “While he’s not Turgeon removed 7’2” Chol Marial ment team Purdue. The best one of The Terps rely on a lineup with to limit Bouknight. The Terps often an o ensive star, he’s much more of from the rotation. The Terps will all one came against Illinois, now fi ve players all between either lack a quality third option and need a threat than he was as an under- still be at a height disadvantage but the No. 1 seed in the Midwest re- 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7 in height. Scott to step up if Wiggins or Ayala classmen.” it’s their best chance of matching gion. “It’s defi nitely not the type of struggle. If he provides at least 12- Hakim Hart rounds out the up with UConn.” However, they’ve also had their conventional team you see,” Hur- 14 points, Maryland will have a le- starting fi ve, averaging 7.1 points on If the Huskies are to advance, fair share of bad losses. The Terps ley said. gitimate chance of winning.” 44.0% shooting from the fi eld and they would face the winner of the lost both games vs. Penn State, who Eric Ayala leads them in scoring, Donta Scott — who stands at 33.7% shooting from three. matchup between No. 2 Alabama fi nished No. 11 in the conference averaging 14.9 points per game on 6-foot-7 and is the de facto Jairus Hamilton, the sixth-man and No. 15 Iona.

Ghost Mike Toscano UPCOMING GAMES UCONN SCOREBOARD @mtosc98 Since Jim Calhoun took over the pro- gram in 1986, UConn does not have a Men’s basketball vs. losing record in any round of the NCAA tournament. Baseball, Friday,  p.m. Storrs, CT R64: 18-2 R32: 14-4 vs. Sweet Sixteen: 10-4 vs. : 5-5 Final Four: 4-1 National Championship: 4-0 Saturday, : p.m. Women’s volleyball, Friday,  p.m. @uconnwbb OF THE DAY TWEETS West Lafayette, IN Storrs, CT OF THE DAY INSTAGRAM Follow @dcsportsdept Friday, March 19, 2021 • DailyCampus.com 11 Sports Baseball: Huskies look to end MEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW: UCONN LOOK- ING TO END SHUTOUT STREAK, GET A skid this weekend vs. St. Joseph’s WIN AT HOME VERSUS ST. JOHN’S by Danny Barletta SPORTS EDITOR by Ben Berg since opening day is they’ve strug- [email protected] STAFF WRITER gled mightily putting the ball in [email protected] the net. They’ve been shut out in The UConn baseball team enters It’s been over a month since the three straight games and haven’t this weekend in a really tough spot. UConn men’s soccer team (1-2-1, scored in 285 minutes of game ac- The team sits at 4-10 on the year 0-2-1 Big East) won a game, with tion. Sophomore Ben Awashie is and has lost its last fi ve games, in- their last victory being a 3-0 shut- the only UConn player with mul- cluding a brutal four-game sweep out of Sacred Heart on the opening tiple points this season (two as- last weekend by Texas . day of the season. Now, UConn is sists). You can try to excuse the losses preparing to host the St. John’s Another reason UConn has only to Texas Tech all you want, saying Red Storm (4-4, 2-4 Big East) on one win on the season is because that the Red Raiders are a top-10 Saturday, March 20 with the hopes they’ve played only four games team in the country, and while that of getting back in the win column. compared to St. John’s eight. They may be true, being swept in a four- Historically, the matchup be- have not played since March 6, game series is brutal. Especially tween the Huskies and the Red while the Red Storm have played when you take into account how Storm has been relatively even. four games since then. they lost that fi nal game: back- UConn holds an all-time record of St. John’s also fi nds themselves to-back-to-back home runs in the 14-16-5 versus St. John’s with a 4-5- in somewhat of a backslide, hav- bottom of the 10th inning. Just 1 record in their last ten meetings. ing lost two straight games by a brutal. That being said, UConn has lost combined score of 4-2. However, if Two things can happen after a two consecutive games to their UConn wants to have any chance weekend like that. The team can division rival, including when the of winning, they will need to con- fall down a rabbit hole and let the Huskies were shut out 2-0 versus tain junior midfi elder Tani Olu- season turn for the worst, or the St. John’s earlier in the season. waseyi, who has a remarkable 13 team can pick itself back up and However, UConn’s 12-6-1 home re- points this season, including fi ve use that series as an example for cord versus St. John’s is reason for goals. what not to let happen again. Judg- optimism. Saturday’s game will begin at 2 ing by the character of the players The primary reason UConn p.m. Eastern at the Joseph J. Mor- and coaches, I think the Huskies In this file photo, UConn baseball takes home a 9-1 win against Central Connecticut State University. This weekend, the Huskies will take on St. fi nds themselves on an 0-2-1 slide rone Stadium. will do the latter, and that starts Joseph’s. PHOTO BY BRANDON BARZOLA, GRAB PHOTOGRAPHER/THE DAILY CAMPUS this weekend against St. Joseph’s bined 5.78 ERA, and last weekend ous. They should be able to do well (4-0). it was even worse. That isn’t good this weekend against a St. Joseph’s The Hawks started their season enough to win most games at this pitching sta that also has an ERA just over a week ago and have only level. And against players like in the 5.7 range. played four games, but they’re un- Brandon Drapeau, Nate Thomas, The Hawks have won their defeated. So even though this team Brendan Hueth and Luca Trigiani games so far despite their pitching may not have the stature of Texas — all of whom are batting at least sta , not because of them. If the Tech, UConn is going to have to .389 with seven home runs com- Huskies can get ahead early in the play really well to beat them. bined — it really won’t be good games this weekend, that will be The Hawks have some really enough. Both the starters and the huge to give their pitchers a cush- good bats. They’ve scored in dou- relievers for the Huskies need to ion. Both these teams come in with ble fi gures in three out of their four get better on the mound. That’s similar track records this season: games, and they’ve hit 11 home where it begins. dangerous lineups and lackluster runs in that span. St. Joseph’s has O ensively, UConn really hasn’t pitching. Something has to give a team batting average of .321 and been too bad, especially in the last this weekend, and the Huskies are there are more hitters batting over couple of weekends. Kyler Fedko hoping it’s a turnaround for them. .300 to this point (eight) than un- fi nally found his groove after a The games will be at 3 p.m. on der (six). That doesn’t bode well slow start, Zach Bushling and Kev- Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 12 for a UConn pitching sta that has in Ferrer have been swinging the p.m. on Sunday at Smithson Field been, for lack of a better word, re- In this photo, the UConn Huskies are held to a 0-0 draw by the bat really well and the stalwarts in Philadelphia. The games can be ally bad. during an intensely cold afternoon on March 3. of the lineup like Reggie Crawford watched on ESPN+ or listened to This weekend, the Huskies will host St. John’s. The UConn pitchers have a com- and Pat Winkel are always danger- on MIXLR. PHOTO BY KEVIN LINDSTROM, PHOTO EDITOR/THE DAILY CAMPUS Women’s Basketball: Huskies kick off tournament run with matchup against High Point eight times. This is in large part by Conner Gilson due to the defensive prowess of ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR Williams and Nelson-Ododa. [email protected] Williams has established her- self as one of the better on-ball defenders in the Big East and perhaps the nation, holding The moment everyone has St. John’s, Villanova and Mar- been waiting for is finally here. quette’s top scorers to a com- It’s time for March Madness. bined 12 points on 5-33 shooting And call it COVID-brain or the in the conference tournament. Paige Bueckers effect, but after Auriemma lauded Williams’ ef- earning a No. 1 seed for the first fort, saying the Huskies are a time in three years, many believe championship team if the junior this UConn roster has what it can continue to play defense like takes to go the distance. that. But a team can’t make it any- And on the rare occasion where in this tournament if they players get by Williams, Nel- don’t take care of business early, son-Ododa is there to clean up which is exactly what the Hus- the mess. Leading UConn in re- kies (24-1, 18-0 Big East) will bounds (7.8) and blocks (1.8), the need to do when they take on junior has proven herself to be the No. 16 High Point Panthers one of the best rim protectors in in their opening round matchup the country, forming an impene- Sunday night. trable force when combined with UConn will have to do it with- Williams’ perimeter D. Both will out head coach need to be clicking against a red- as he recovers from a positive hot High Point team. COVID-19 test he received last The Pirates have won nine of Sunday, but assistant head coach their last 10 games — including a Chris Dailey boasts a perfect Big South Tournament win that 10-0 record in Auriemma’s ab- earned them the No. 16 — scor- sences, and will be coaching a ing at least 70 points in eight of Huskies group that believes it’s them. On the offensive end they playing its best basketball as of are led by Skylar Curran, who late. leads the team in scoring (17.9) Coming off a dominant perfor- and rebounds (7.2), while Jenson mance in the Big East Tourna- Edwards paces the team on de- ment that saw UConn outscore fense with just under a steal per their opponents 234-119, the game. Huskies are clicking on all cylin- Both offenses have the ability ders at just the right time. to get rolling early — High Point Paige Bueckers leads the way puts up over 72 points per game for this team on the offensive — but the Pirates’ tallest active end, pacing UConn in points player stands at just 6-foot-2, (19.7), assists (6.1) and steals so look for UConn to take con- trol of the interior with 6-foot-5 (2.3) per game. Along with her Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers, right, dances over to teammates while celebrating an NCAA college basket- Big East Freshman and Player of ball game win in the Big East tournament finals against Marquette at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Nelson-Ododa and 6-foot-3 Ed- Conn, in this Monday, March 8, 2021, file photo. Bueckers has made The Associated Press All-America first wards running the show. the Year Awards, the freshman team, announced Wednesday, March 17, 2021. PHOTO BY JESSICA HILL, AP also earned the Big East Tourna- This game will serve as a fine ment’s Most Outstanding Player Player of the Year Award — con- Christyn Williams (15.8), Olivia In their last 14 games since test for the Huskies as they at- honor after putting up an aver- trols this offense on a nightly Nelson-Ododa (12.5) and Aaliyah losing against Arkansas back in tempt to make a run toward na- age of 19.3 points and five assists basis, but even when she has Edwards (10.2) all able to put up late January, the Huskies have tional title No. 12. Tipoff for this in UConn’s three games. off nights (which are few and points in bunches. given up more than 60 points to one is set for 8 p.m. Sunday night Bueckers — who was also just far between), the Huskies have What makes this UConn team so opponents just three times while and can be viewed on ESPN. named a finalist for the Naismith the depth to cover for her, with special, however, is their defense. holding opponents under 50 10 Friday, March 19, 2021 • DailyCampus.com Sports

Photo of the Day | Oh look a snowflake

The Huskies won 5-0 against Seaton Hall with two of five goals scored by midfielder Jessica Mazo (6) on March 14, 2021. PHOTO BY ERIN KNAPP, GRAB PHOTOGRAPHER/THE DAILY CAMPUS : Huskies return to Big East play against Creighton by Cole Stefan CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT [email protected] For the first time in eight sea- sons, the Huskies will be playing a game. The long-awaited return starts with a team that was not in the Big East when they left in the . The Huskies (7-9) will look to gain more momentum after beat- ing the winless Rhode Island Rams 10-7 on Wednesday after- noon. The offense got going early and the defense maintained the lead for the rest of the way. Sophomore Meghan O’Neil pitched that entire game and has shown strong improvements this season. O’Neil has started seven games, going 4-2 with a 3.04 ERA on 14 walks and 19 strikeouts through 53 innings of work so far. Working alongside her to create a dangerous stable is freshman Payton Kinney, who could possi- bly be in Rookie of the Year con- versations. Through nine starts in 12 games, Kinney is 3-7 with a 2.93 ERA having gone 59.2 innings so far. In those 59.2 innings, Kinney has walked 32 and struck out a whopping 58 batters, which is tied for the lead in the conference. Each pitcher has allowed over 30 runs, but about 25 of them have been earned against some serious competition. In addition, each pitcher has thrown four complete games and has allowed five home runs. Look for them to dominate the opposition right from the start. On the offense, the tale of the tape has been both veteran ex- perience at the top of the lineup and the plethora of freshman fill- ing out spots when necessary. In Wednesday’s win over the Rams, the Huskies started five freshmen. In this file photo, UConn softball takes home a 2-1 win against . This weekend, the Huskies will take on Creighton in their Starting with the veterans, red- return to Big East play. PHOTO BY BRANDON BARZOLA, GRAB PHOTOGRAPHER/THE DAILY CAMPUS shirt junior Hollis Wivell’s red- hot bat is leading the way with a have been the main stars on this .368 average is next in line while Up first is sophomore Mikayla innings, Lawrence has allowed .357 batting average. Speed is also squad as they have played in ev- her three homeruns and 12 runs Santa Cruz, whose 2.67 ERA is the 10 runs (eight earned) for an ERA the name of the game as her nine ery game. Together, they have 29 batted in lead the team. Wilson lowest on the team. Santa Cruz, of 4.80 while walking seven and stolen bases on 10 tries is sec- hits and 16 runs batted in. Also is currently on a 10-game hitting who is 2-1, has thrown two com- striking out nine. ond on the team to junior Aziah look out for Lauren Benson and streak. Out of the 19 hits that plete games and allowed 13 runs One could say that the pitching James, who has stolen 12 bases on Madisyn Estorga to get some con- Cantu has so far, she has legged (seven earned) on 21 hits through is relatively equivalent for both 13 tries. sistent playing time this weekend out two triples and driven in five 18.1 innings pitched. She has also teams and could possibly be a James’ speed makes her a solid as well. runs. struck out 15 and walked 17. matchup to look out for. second hitter in the lineup behind The Bluejays (6-5) meanwhile, Some other Bluejay hitters to Next is senior Parker Boyd, who Unlike previous weekends, leadoff slugger Reese Guevar- have played less games, but could look out for are sophomore Sam has been a workhorse this season. this is the only team the Huskies ra. Guevarra, a senior, is second be a dangerous team to look out Alm (.344), freshman Cayla Niel- She has started six games and has will face before heading back for among qualified hitters on the for. For starters, the Bluejays, sen (.333) and sophomore Kiara thrown a complete game in half their first home games of the year. team with a .322 average and has coming off a strong series against Mills (.320), all of whom have of those starts. Through 35.1 in- The Huskies lost their previous plated in seven runs on 19 hits, the the Providence Friars, have 11 brought serious production to the nings, she has a 4.16 ERA having matchup with the Bluejays back latter of which leads the team. freshmen and six sophomores plate whether that is with power walked 18 and striking out 29 bat- in 1991 and will look to take a 3-1 Senior Brianna Marcelino is that give them serious depth for or with hitting for average. ters despite allowing 23 runs (21 series lead after this weekend. also playing a strong part as her the future. The Bluejays have this strong earned). The Huskies will take on the four home runs, 11 runs batted in Leading the way offensively by mix of hitting, but what about on Finally, there is freshman Jena Bluejays in a doubleheader on Sat- and 13 runs lead the team. She is a a wide margin however is senior the mound? The Bluejays have Lawrence, who is starting to make urday with the first game starting power bat that many teams must Ashley Cantu. Her .514 batting three solid pitchers they can rely a name for herself this season. She at 1 p.m. EST and the second game look out for as this senior is rak- average (that is not a typo) leads on to start one game each this has been used mainly as a relief starting at approximately 3 p.m. ing this season. the entire conference and is miles weekend. This stable is some- pitcher but has started one game EST. The two teams will wrap up As for the freshmen to look out ahead of the next best player in thing to keep an eye out for in the this season and she may add a sec- their series on Sunday at 10:30 for, Taylor Zatyk and Jana Sanden sophomore Kailey Wilson, whose weeks to come. ond this weekend. Through 11.2 a.m. EST. Friday, March 19, 2021 • DailyCampus.com 09 Sports Women’s Lacrosse: UConn looks to rebound vs. Marquette by Evan Rodriguez the Huskies in points this season CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT with 25 and draw controls with 57. [email protected] Landyn White has been vital for After a devastating end to their the Huskies this season with a Big four-game win streak, UConn is East-leading 52 saves. looking to rebound Friday at 5 Marquette, like UConn, was also p.m. against the Marquette Gold- on a solid winning streak before en Eagles. This is the Huskies’ fi rst falling to No. 19 Louisville. The match against the Golden Eagles Golden Eagles are in the same po- since 2018 when Marquette took sition as the Huskies and are look- the win in a 15-14 fi nal score. ing to redeem themselves. Megan In their previous matchup ver- Menzuber is the leading point scor- sus UMass, UConn took a disap- er this season for the Golden Ea- pointing 15-14 overtime loss with gles at 27 and assist leader at eight. the deciding goal in that game Menzuber will undoubtedly be a scored with just two seconds left tough cover for the Huskies de- in overtime. The Huskies are un- fense and a primary target in coach doubtedly determined to redeem Meredith Black’s game plan. Lydia themselves against Marquette in Foust is another dangerous weap- this matchup. on on Marquette’s o ensive game This game will be UConn’s of- plan at 20 points on the year, and fi cial return to the Big East Con- Caroline Steller is only one behind ference after playing the last two at 19. Sophia Leva has been very ef- seasons in the American Athletic fective for the Golden Eagles, at 45 Conference. This will be a set of saves on the year, and will be tough two games the Huskies will play to score on for the Huskies. With- against Marquette, with the sec- out a doubt, Marquette should ond game occurring on Sunday at pose a signifi cant threat for UConn 1 p.m. in this two-game matchup. After a brilliant performance With UConn and Marquette be- against UMass that included four ing neck and neck in o ense this goals, Kate Schafer was named the season, this game should come Big East Attacker of the Week and down to draw controls and defense. will look to replicate that fantastic In draw controls, UConn most cer- performance. After a small two- tainly has the upper edge thanks goal performance, senior Sydney to Watson. To win this di cult Watson will look to continue to matchup, the Huskies will need In this file photo, UConn women’s lacrosse battled to a 12-11 victory over No. 22 UMass on March 7, 2021. impress in this matchup vs. Mar- their defense to step up against a This weekend, UConn will take on Marquette. PHOTO BY MATT PICKETT, GRAB PHOTOGRAPHER/THE DAILY CAMPUS quette. Watson continues to lead di cult Marquette o ense. Celtics Weekly Report:  games in, trade deadline looming, and the Time Lord’s time? by Dylan Haviland CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

Welcome back to the Weekly Celtics Report. After a short break, we return to talk about the plight of our Boston Celtics through 40 games, the looming trade deadline and the arrival of a possible 6-foot- 8 hero. 20-20 through 40 Yes you read that right, the Bos- ton Celtics are 20-20 through 40 games this season. Many analysts had the Celtics as a top-10 team this year heading into the season following an impressive Eastern Conference championship run in the bubble. However, 40 games into a 72 game season, the Celtics sit perfectly at .500 on the season, and despite both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum being All-Stars this season they still struggle to score and defend when it matters most. In the games against the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers this week, the Celtics lost the game in the fourth quarter, where their de- fense fell apart and was unable to produce stops, while their o ense fell into the same Brown and Tatum isolation plays that we have seen all year. This season in the fourth quarter, the Celtics have the sec- ond-lowest net rating in the NBA, only above the same Cavaliers that Rockets forward Anthony Lamb (33) and center Justin Patton (26) battle with Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall (99) for the ball during the second half of an NBA game Sunday, March 14, 2021, in Houston. PHOTO BY BRETT COOMER, AP they just lost to on Wednesday. While I’ve been panicking all sea- torically large trade exception, and playmaking big who can pick and I would like to start o this sec- energy that no one else on the team son about their play, 40 games is some young pieces that might inter- pop with Brown and Tatum and tion by giving a sincere thanks to except for Marcus Smart can, and more than enough of a sample size est some rebuilding teams, I would provide outside shooting with his Daniel Theis and Tristan Thomp- he forces the ball to move around to prove to me that this team is not hope that the Celtics are players for 41% shooting from three. son for their services this season, even when Brown and Tatum en- good enough to be a top-four team big names in the coming weeks. Finally, Atlanta Hawks forward but with all due respect, it’s time for ter hero mode. In only 16 minutes in the eastern conference, let alone I have been on the Harrison John Collins could be a great fi t for a the Time Lord to take over. a game this year, he’s averaging 7.5 good enough to be a winner in this Barnes train all season, and even young Celtics team in need of height. Robert Williams III has been points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists league. This team doesn’t have the more so now with the Kings look- The 6-foot-9 forward has been av- on a tear in the second half of this with 1.7 blocks per game. If we look chemistry they need to make a deep ing awful and the deadline rapidly eraging 18 points and 7.8 rebounds season, providing rebounding, de- at his per-36 numbers, where we in- run in the playo s, and even gen- approaching. This would be the per game while shooting 53% from fense, absurd blocks and energy crease his minutes and assume the eral manager Danny Ainge agrees. best time for Ainge to steal Barnes the fi eld and 37.3% from 3. While on both ends and even playmak- same output for 36 minutes a game, On his weekly interview Thursday from Sacramento, as the Kings for- his playmaking value is much lower ing. While Theis is a better shooter his stats would elevate to 16 points, on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher ward has been great o the bench than Barnes or Vucevic, he brings a than him undoubtedly, he is out- 13.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.7 and Rich,” Ainge noted that “it just this year for them, averaging 16.6 level of defense that is much higher performed in nearly every other blocks per game. Now this is proba- seems like we don’t have a lot of points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists than either of them, and against bigs category. Williams has a knack for bly a high estimate on what his pro- characteristics of a really good team, per game. His 36.7% shooting from like Joel Embiid and Giannis Ante- knowing when to cut o of a screen duction would be, but even if his for sure, we have some talented guys 3 this year is also impressive, and tokounmpo in the East, his skills and roll, and his incredible ath- stats were slightly lower than this but our team right now is not play- add to that his good defense and would prove valuable for a team in letic ability means he is a constant it would be a huge improvement ing as well as we had hoped.” With the Celtics will fi nally have a good need of frontcourt defense. lob threat over the top. In limited over the production they are getting the March 25 trade deadline ap- bench wing to help relieve some of While all of these trades would be minutes this season, he’s averaging from either Theis or Thompson at proaching, the C’s need to decide if the pressure for Brown and Tatum. signifi cant upgrades over what the nearly two blocks a game and what center. they are going to be aggressive and Another name linked to the team team has now, there is no promise feels like a million alley oops, but That will be all for this week’s make an impactful trade at the dead- as of late is Orlando Magic center that Ainge will pull the trigger on a that is not all. As we saw Wednes- edition of our Celtics report. Next line, or resign themselves to an aver- Nikola Vucevic. The All-Star cen- trade before the deadline. The last day against the Cavs, Williams and week we’ll look at the start of a age team and wait for the o season ter has averaged 25 points, 11.6 re- time he made an in season trade, let Pritchard were key to breathing brutal stretch of fi ve games in sev- to make their moves. bounds and 3.7 assists per game on alone a deadline deal, was the 2015 life back into the lazy and uninter- en days for the Celtics, including a The shadow of the deadline a terrible Magic team ravaged by season, so we will have to wait and ested Celtics and played a key part matchup against the No. 3 Milwau- If the Celtics decide to be aggres- injuries. While his value is high, I see if this season’s performance has on both ends of the fl oor in the C’s kee Bucks, as well as break down sive at the deadline, they have plen- do believe it is possible to get him to changed his strategy in any way. nearly leading a great fourth quar- any trades or non-trades as we ap- ty of options to bring in. With a his- Boston, where he would thrive as a It’s time for the Time Lord ter comeback. He gives the stars an proach the trade deadline.