University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Defeat Houston Jaguars 74-63 in Exhibition Play
11/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. (November 16, 2004) – Junior Ann Strother (Castle Rock, Colo.) scored 18 points and junior Barbara Turner (Cleveland, Ohio) added 16 off the bench as fourth-ranked Connecticut completed the exhibition portion of its season with a 74-63 defeat of the Houston Jaguars, Tuesday evening at the Hartford Civic Center.
Strother scored 10 of team high 18 points after intermission, and Turner scored back-to-back hoops when the Jaguars had shaved an 18-point Husky lead to six, at 66-60, with 4:49 to play. Delacy Joseph and Latasha Moore combined for 11 points in the 15-3 run by the Jaguars. After Turner’s baskets, the Huskies led by at least seven points the rest of the contest.
UConn scored the game’s first four points en route to a quick 18-4 advantage just 7:33 into the contest. Freshman point guard Ketia Swanier (Columbus, Ga.) scored five points in the opening spurt. The Huskies settled for a 42-29 halftime lead, forcing 15 Houston turnovers, which were converted into 23 Husky points. Turner led the Huskies with 10 points in the first 20 minutes.
Head coach Geno Auriemma played 10 Huskies at least 10 minutes in UConn’s final tune-up for the 2004-2005 season opener. UConn shot 41% from the field, but connected on just six of 21 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. The Huskies enjoyed a 44-34 rebounding advantage, paced by Turner, Ashley Battle (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Willnett Crockett (Harbor City, Calif.), who each snared seven rebounds. Crockett added 11 points for UConn.
Latoya Thomas led the Jaguars with a game-high 19 points.
UConn will open up defense of their National Championship when they play host to Buffalo on Friday, November 19, at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by CPTV.
GAME NOTES
- UConn wore its new blue road uniforms with silver, red and white accents in the exhibition game win.
- UConn’s starting five was Ann Strother, Jessica Moore, Ashley Battle, Willnett Crockett and Ketia Swanier.
- The Huskies won their fourth straight preseason game.
- UConn’s last preseason loss came on November 13, 2002 when it dropped a 79-73 decision to the Houston Jaguars.
- Barbara Turner posted a team-best 10 first-half points in just 11 minutes.
- Willnett Crockett’s 10 free thro attempts and 7 free throws made marked her highest single-game totals for each category.
- Ann Strother’s 19 field goal attempts marked her highest single-game total.
- Jessica Moore fouled out with 8:47 remaining.
- Ann Strother’s eight field goals tied her highest single-game total.
POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Geno Auriemma
What did you think about the game?
I thought there was progress. There were some better things that I saw. It’s going to be one of those things that will be ongoing. I don’t think there’s going to be any point in the year where I’m going to say, “You know what? I think we’ve got it”.
We don’t really practice the press that much with this group. We wanted to just run up and down. It’s just an exhibition game.
Our big strategy was to put people out there that they might want to guard then pass the ball to Ann.
On freshman Ketia Swanier
Ketia is going to have games like tonight. She looked great. I think she handled herself pretty well. We want her to get comfortable. We asked her, someone who is running a hundred miles an hour, to keep her composure and get us into our offense. That’s asking a lot.
On sophomore Nicole Wolff
I was happy to see Nicole come in and play and make some shots. She has great assertiveness.
Was Jess Moore a little over eager?
I think she was really anxious to play. She has all that energy in her. I’m not surprised that she was in a little bit of a hurry a couple of times.
Were there enough drives out there?
I think the problem with exhibition games and a new season is that your last referenced point is the national championship game. So now anything you see looks horrible compared to that. Don’t forget what the team last year looked like at one of the exhibition games. At this time in the year you just want to se more good things than ugly. Last game was more ugly than good. This game was more good than ugly. Although by no stretch can you say that the second half was the way we want to play.
On freshman Mel Thomas
I said to her the other day when she came to practice, “What’s the point of having you out here if you’re going to miss? I already have enough guys that do that!”
On Barbara Turner not starting
Well Barbara didn’t practice yesterday because of a complication. It’s going to be like that, maybe, for Barbara for a little while. She’s kind of on a day to day….how she feels. I really didn’t feel that I could start her not practicing the day before the game. She seems to play pretty well coming off the bench. She doesn’t like not starting.
Senior Jessica Moore
How did it feel getting back on the court?
It was like first game jitters for me. I was way too pumped up, and I need to just calm down and get that out of my system now. Come Friday, we start playing real basketball.
Are you surprised the team didn’t look better?
I think we looked a lot better than our first game. We have a lot of things to work on, but I thought we had a really good first half. The second half was a bit of a low, but we got through it well. I think game by game it is going to get a little bit better.
Junior Ann Strother
Speaking on teammate Keita Swanier
She has come so far since the first day. She can get through any fast break and press.
Do you think the team is progressing?
I think so. It is only November. The good thing is the progression since the first game.
Freshman Mel Thomas
How has the overall adjustment from high school to college been?
The first couple practices were rough. It felt like everything was going wrong. There was definitely a big adjustment.
How is it dealing with the pressure of playing on a team that has had so much success?
There is definitely a lot of hype and we are trying to play up to that.
What are some things you feel comfortable doing?
I am feeling confident in playing defense and trying to run the floor.
Sophomore Nicole Wolff
Do you think this game was better than last?
Definitely. You can see the effort was there so much more.
Did you feel relieved finally getting to play?
Definitely. It felt good to get out there and make a difference.
Freshman Ketia Swanier
How did it feel to be the point guard passing to four players who have won National Championships?
It was great knowing I had players like that to pass to.
How did you feel seeing yourself up on the screen as a starter and how do you think you did?
It was exciting. I think I did well.
