UConn women’s basketball won’t have to worry about going undefeated this season. On Thursday, the second-ranked Huskies fell on the road to the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines, 77-66. In a back-and-forth contest, UConn went ahead 57-55 early in the fourth quarter, only to get outscored 22-9 the rest of the way.
Sarah Strong wasn’t nearly good enough for the Huskies, finishing with just 13 points on 5-11 shooting and eight rebounds. She picked up three fouls just 7:35 in and had to watch the entire second
quarter from the bench. The junior managed just two points in the fourth quarter and missed her last four shots before fouling out with 20 seconds left.
Jovana Popovic kept UConn in the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, despite five turnovers and four fouls. The freshman just didn’t get enough help from everyone else. Olivia Vukosa had eight points and five rebounds, but saw the court for all of three minutes in the second half. Blanca Quiñonez continued to look rusty with seven points on 3-11 shooting while KK Arnold also had seven points, though all of that came in the first half.
The Huskies’ defense struggled throughout. They left shooters open on the perimeter all night, which let Michigan go 9-20 from three. Beyond that, UConn also played a sloppy game, committing 25 fouls and 19 turnovers.
The two teams traded baskets throughout much of the first quarter. No side led by more than three until late in the period, when the Huskies went up 19-14 behind a 6-0 run. But the most consequential stretch came between the 4:40 and 2:25 marks, when Strong picked up three fouls in quick succession and went to the bench for the rest of the first half.
Michigan held UConn to just eight points in the second quarter. The hosts retook the lead with a 5-0 burst, then went up by four a few minutes later. The Huskies appeared to regain the momentum when Vukosa scored on back-to-back possessions but the offense went silent from there. They failed to score over the final 2:25 while the Wolverines piled up six straight points to go into the locker room on top, 35-29.
Out of the break, Strong hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession, while a triple from Popovic and a layup from Strong soon after put UConn ahead. The third quarter was tightly contested — neither team led by more than a possession until Michigan scored nine of 12 points to go up by four.
In the final period, two quick buckets from Popovic and Kayleigh Heckel pushed the Huskies in front, 57-55. It would be their final lead of the night. The Wolverines responded with an 8-0 run to go up by six, then extended the gap to nine soon after. UConn could only whittle the deficit down to six with 2:18 left before Michigan closed the game on a 9-2 burst to seal its 11-point victory.
With the loss, the Huskies drop to 1-1 on the young season. The schedule doesn’t get any easier going forward as they return home to take on No. 10 Iowa at Gampel Pavilion on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on FS1.
