Sunday at Williams Arena, in front of an announced 10,869 fans, the Gophers women’s basketball team played defense well enough to keep itself in a game against No. 8 Connecticut.
But the offense didn’t come along for the ride.
With Paige Bueckers making her homecoming appearance, the Gophers struggled to score from the opening tip in a 62-44 loss to the Huskies.
For the first two quarters, their defense kept the Gophers in the game; Connecticut (3-1) led by just three at halftime. But a 21-6 quarter-long Huskies run took the drama out of the game, and much of the energy out of the crowd.
Bueckers — the former Hopkins High School standout who received a huge round of applause when she was introduced — scored 12 points with eight rebounds and four assists,
Aaliyah Edwards scored 16 with nine rebounds for UConn, which outscored the Gophers 32-12 in the paint.
Mara Braun led the Gophers (3-1) with 23 points. But she struggled to make shots, going 4-for-21 overall and 2-for-11 on threes. Mallory Heyer had 10 points and six rebounds. Freshman Grace Grocholski had 11, but was 3-for-15 on three-pointers.
The Gophers (3-1) simply could not score. They shot 26.2% overall and were 6-for-34 from behind the arc.
The Gophers made just four of 21 shots in the first quarter. Braun was 0-for-10, Grace Grocholski 0-for-5.
And yet it was a two-point game heading into the second quarter. The Huskies were up 11-9 despite turning the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter was much the same. The Gophers played good enough defense to keep it close — holding UConn to 15 points on 7-for-16 shooting and forcing another three turnovers. But the Gophers just couldn’t generate much offense.
The Gophers went 5-for-17 in the second, with Braun continuing to struggle. But it was still a close game at halftime, with UConn up 26-23.
All that changed in the third quarter, when the Huskies found their offensive stride while ramping up the defensive intensity. The result: a three-point halftime lead grew to 18 entering the fourth.