University of Connecticut Athletics
Freshmen Get a Taste of the Postseason
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Written by Erica Brancato
The post season began for the UConn women's basketball team, as the Huskies easily defeated Cincinnati 93-34 on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The freshmen were a huge help during their first game of the American Athletic Conference tournament, as they transitioned from regular season into post-season play.
Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams and Courtney Ekmark all saw solid minutes against the Bearcats as they experienced their first college post-season game. Each player showed energy and enthusiasm as they helped the Huskies advance in the conference tournament.
"It's a whole new part of the season, so now we can't be looked at as freshmen anymore," Gabby Williams said. "That starts with us and how we want to play. We can't play like the new freshmen anymore."
Typically throughout the regular season, most freshmen tend to struggle and take a while to transition into college basketball. However these three freshmen in particular continue to grow and succeed on and off the court.
"Every freshman struggles," head coach Geno Auriemma said. "There's not one kid who comes to college who doesn't struggle. Sometimes they hide it better than others but they usually struggle. It's a lot... you just hope that they are strong enough to fight through it. Like Terrence Fletcher said in Whiplash: `the great ones, they don't get discouraged. They don't get discouraged.'"
Though these freshmen have experienced peaks and valleys throughout the season, they have never given up. They have been able to come into their own and develop further beyond their high school abilities.
Williams made six of her seven shots against Cincinnati and racked up 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals. She was able to help both on the offense and defense, as she has grown more confident and stable as a player throughout her first season. Though she is always looking for further improvement, Williams thought her first post-season play went well as she brought energy and skill against the Bearcats.
"I think what's important this post season is our bench produces almost just as much as the starters do and just make sure our energy level stays up when we come in," she said.
Nurse, who has started a majority of this season, believes that with the added responsibilities she has felt the added pressure to perform better. However she never felt alone because her teammates always supported her and helped her through. With 10 points, two rebounds and three assists, Nurse has come into her own as a reliable point guard for the Huskies.
Nurse believes her confidence and skills have gotten significantly better throughout the season. With support from her family and her teammates, she has been able to grow as a player and has contributed greatly on the court.
"I think Moriah Jefferson has taught me a whole lot just because we play the same position and she has given me advice on how to do pretty much every single thing that is necessary to be a point guard at UConn," she said. "And definitely Kaleena, Kia, Morgan and Stewie have all kind of given me little tips here and there and shared their own personal experiences with me and that's made all the difference."
Though the Huskies were able to easily breeze past the Bearcats, UConn continues to stay focused and play one game at a time. They realize competition is going to get harder as the post season continues. With the freshmen feeling more comfortable and gaining more skills, the Huskies look to use every player to their advantage.
"This is a whole new level now of competition," Williams said. "Teams who we may have played before and beat before, they are going to be coming out for blood now and I mean everyone has been playing a lot better... so we just have to play at a faster pace."
