University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Cruise Past Team Concept in Exhibition Opener
11/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
)
STORRS, CT (November 8, 2003) -- Junior center Jessica Moore (Palmer, AK) had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead three teammates in double figures as top-ranked Connecticut breezed past Team Concept, 79-59, in the Huskies’ exhibition opener Saturday evening at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. The game was played before the usual sellout crowd of 10,167.
The Huskies were never seriously challenged in the contest, enjoying a 43-18 halftime advantage, behind 55% (17 of 31) shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Sophomore forward Barbara Turner (Cleveland, OH) led the Huskies with 10 points at the half. The UConn lead swelled to as many as 34 (at 65-31 with 7:15 to play) and Husky head coach Geno Auriemma was able to substitute freely in the contest.
Moore was able to have her way inside the paint, connecting on eight of 10 field goal attempts, and blocking four shots. She helped lead UConn to a decisive 50-24 advantage in points in the paint. Also in double figures were Turner, who finished with 16 points, senior All-America candidate Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA), who had 15, and sophomore guard Ann Strother (Castle Rock, CO), who chipped in with 13.
The Huskies were their usual unselfish selves, dishing out 21 assists on their 32 made field goals, paced by six each by Turner and Taurasi.
The Huskies played without injured frontcourt players sophomore Wilnett Crockett (Harbor City, CA) and freshman Liz Sherwood (Castle Rock, CO), each out nursing injuries.
Team Concept was paced by Deanna Jackson, who scored 18 points.
The Huskies will conclude the exhibition portion of their 2003-2004 schedule when they play host to the NWBL ALL-Stars on Tuesday, November 18 at the Hartford Civic Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
November 8, 2003
UConn vs. Team Concept
UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma
On game
I thought defensively we’re probably ahead of where I thought we’d be. And we haven’t put in on offense except a couple of basic things. So I think we’re in pretty good shape. I think we need to get up and down the court a little more. I think we settled into their pace tonight.
We’ve got to figure out a way to get some transition baskets, maybe off the turnovers. I think we can be a really good transition team.
On Team
You think about Jessica, Barbara, Ann and D, and that’s a pretty versatile group, you know? They can do a lot of things, those guys. And hopefully if we put Will and Liz into the mix, that should give us a pretty big front line.
On Jessica Moore
She’s very consistent, she works very hard, and I think it’s very difficult to guard her anymore. And I don’t think she’s getting the attention that everyone else is getting. But then again Jessica hasn’t gotten any attention the whole time she’s been here. But that’s ok, and she’s incredibly valuable to us right now.
I don’t know where we’d be right now if we didn’t have Jessica Moore.
I’d like for her to get 10 or 11 (rebounds) every night, which means we may not be able to beat teams down the floor consistently but I think it outweighs the negatives when she can get 10, or 11 rebounds every night. If her and Barbara can get 20 every night, then that’s pretty good.
On Ann Strother
That’s the first thing we noticed when we came back was how much of a rebounder Ann was and how much more she wanted to go to the boards and go to the basket offensively and defensively.
On Maria Conlon
Maria is kind of struggling a little bit. She hasn’t found her rhythm yet, and she missed all that time with the foot thing you know, so she didn’t do a whole lot. So she’s still not where we need her to be.
On Nicole Wolff
Nicole seems to be pretty much where she left off in some ways, like defensively she’ll rebound the ball a little bit, she’ll guard and she’ll get people to miss shots. But I don’t know that offensively she’s in a real good frame of mind right now, so that would be a big help if we could get her to come in off the bench and make shots, make plays, and give us another scorer. But that hasn’t happened yet.
Player Quotes
Diana Taurasi
On the team’s overall performance: “I don’t think we played that well at all. Defensively we did a lot of good things, helped each other, and rebounded the ball well, but offensively we fell a little short, but we’ll get there. A game like this shows that we have a lot of things to work on.”
On Jessica Moore: “Jess has gotten a lot better, and she showed that tonight and got a double-double. When she gets on the backboard and is aggressive when she has the ball, she’s hard to stop.”
On Morgan Valley: “You put Mo out there, she rebounds, she passes, she hits the open jumper, she definitely helps us and she’s another person you can look to out there.”
On what the team wasn’t happy with: “I wouldn’t say we weren’t happy with it, but its something we need to work on, and that’s our offense… being a little more comfortable out there, and that’s something that can be worked on.”
On the international rules lanes: “Yeah, they’re alright, I played with those lines overseas this summer. I think it’s a little bit harder to get your offense started because the three-point line is so close in (to halfcourt), but if we keep ourselves spread out then it does work to our advantage.”
Jessica Moore
On the players she’s learned from at Connecticut: “I think I’ve had the best instructors… some of the best post players to play the game. I think I’ve taken a little bit out of everything they did and I try to put it into my own game, and that’s helped make me successful.”
On not being named to any BIG EAST preseason teams: “It really doesn’t bother me at all, as long as we keep on winning championships. I’ll go out there and do the best I can this year, and whatever happens, happens. I can’t control what other people think about me, but as long as I’m approved by my teammates and my coaches, that’s all I can ask for. I don’t need anybody else’s approval.”
On Geno’s comment about Jessica that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder:” “That’s coach you know, and he says those little things, and that’s really all the approval I need. That definitely helps my self-esteem, and he makes me feel really good by saying that.”
