University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
UCLA
No. 6 Huskies to Face No. 2 UCLA, Kansas in Cayman Island Classic
11/23/2023 11:51:00 AM | Women's Basketball
GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS – The sixth-ranked UConn women's basketball team (3-1) will compete in the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic women's tournament this weekend.
UConn will face No. 2 UCLA (4-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Kansas (2-1) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both games will air on FloHoops and the UConn Sports Network from Learfield (97-9 ESPN).
The Huskies gutted out a 62-44 win over Minnesota in Minneapolis last Sunday. Senior Aaliyah Edwards paced UConn with 16 points and nine rebounds while redshirt junior Paige Bueckers had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in her homecoming game. UConn's defense held the Gophers to just 26.2 percent shooting from the field and 17.6 percent from three-point range.
Guard KK Arnold was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Monday. The Germantown, Wis., native averaged 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game last week while shooting 63.6 percent from the field. This is the second straight week a Husky has earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after Qadence Samuels got the nod last week.
UConn is 7-0 all-time vs. UCLA. The teams last faced off in the 2021 Never Forget Tribute Classic, a 71-61 UConn win. This is the fourth ranked matchup between UConn and UCLA. This is the second top-10 matchup between the teams and the first where UCLA is ranked higher than UConn.
UCLA is ranked No. 2 in this week's AP Poll, the highest ranking for the Bruins in program history. The Bruins moved to 4-0 with a 77-74 win over Princeton last Friday. Lauren Betts led UCLA with 22 points and 10 rebounds. This season, Betts leads the Bruins with 19.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Head coach Cori Close is in her 13th season at UCLA.
UConn is 2-0 all-time vs. Kansas. This is the first meeting between the teams since Dec. 21, 1996.
Kansas is coming off a 70-61 win over Kansas City last Saturday. This season, Holly Kersgieter leads the Jayhawks with 18.7 points per game. Kansas faces No. 9 Virginia Tech on Thursday. Head coach Brandon Schneider is in his ninth season at Kansas.
