University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Villanova
Top-Seeded UConn to Face Villanova for BIG EAST Championship
3/5/2023 8:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The top-seeded and ninth-ranked UConn women's basketball team (28-5, 18-2 BIG EAST) faces No. 2-seed Villanova (28-5, 17-3) in the 2023 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game on Monday at 7 p.m. in Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will air on FS1 and the UConn Sports Network (97-9 ESPN).
Junior Aaliyah Edwards had 20 points and 12 rebounds as UConn breezed past Marquette, 81-52, on Sunday. Graduate student Dorka Juhász (14 points, 11 rebounds) and junior Nika Mühl (11 points, 10 assists) also had double-doubles as all five of UConn's starters scored in double digits. UConn had 48 points in the paint compared to just eight from Marquette.
UConn will compete for its 10th straight conference tournament trophy.
The Huskies are 96-13 (.880) all-time in conference tournaments. The Huskies have won 27 total conference tournament titles: 20 in the BIG EAST and seven in the American Athletic Conference. UConn has been in the championship game of every conference tournament since 2005.
Villanova advanced to the championship game with a 63-61 win over Creighton on Sunday. Maddy Siegrist led the Wildcats with 37 points in the game. This season, BIG EAST Player of the Year Siegrist leads the nation with 29.2 points per game. Head coach Denise Dillon is in her third season at Villanova.
UConn is 41-18 al-time vs. Villanova. The Huskies won both regular-season matchups between the teams: a 63-58 win in Hartford on Jan. 29 and a 60-51 victory at Villanova on Feb. 18.
Five Huskies earned BIG EAST regular season honors, headlined by 2022-23 Most Improved Player Aaliyah Edwards and repeating BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Nika Mühl. Edwards and graduate student Lou Lopez Sénéchal were unanimously named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Mühl and graduate student Dorka Juhász were tabbed to the Second Team and redshirt junior Aubrey Griffin earned Honorable Mention honors.
