UConn women's basketball

It has been a long road for Caroline Doty since she tore the ACL in her left knee for the second time Jan. 17, 2009 against Syracuse. She reached the one-year anniversary of the injury Sunday and followed with a strong performance in Monday’s 81-48 victory at No. 6 Duke.
Doty scored 13 points, made three of the five 3-pointers she attempted, and added two rebounds, three assists and one steal in 30 minutes. It was a feel-good effort for her as she had scored a combined 23 points in the last three games and had not reached double figures in scoring in 10 of the last 14. Doty also was just 2-of-11 from 3-point range over the last three games.
When the Huskies were in North Carolina last Jan. 19 to play the Tar Heels Doty could only sit and watch. This time she played an integral role in UConn’s 57th straight win and its second win over a Top 6 foe in just about 48 hours.
“It’s been a long journey,’’ Doty said. “No one ever wants to go through that kind of thing. But to go through this whole past week with GameDay and coming down here and experiencing this, just knowing all the hard work paid off. Rosemary Ragle, our trainer, having me in the training room doing the right things and having my team support me 100 percent the entire way. It is a year-long recovery and to go through it and to have an outcome like this, this great, this exciting I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for it.’’
Doty also demonstrated a sense of maturity Monday. She was called for a foul with 5:10 left in the first half after committing a turnover in the frontcourt. Doty was visibly upset about the call, but she responded by making a pull-up jumper in the lane with 23 seconds later and followed with a 3-pointer 34 seconds after to boost UConn’s lead to 14.
That was the only foul Doty was called for in the game.
“My teammates and coaches have been on me about staying composed,’’ Doty said. “I do get fired up here and there, and just too know to come back as positive as possible is the right thing to do. If you get down on yourself or you get too angry no one’s going to prosper from that. So to come out and hit a couple shots and kind of get in the rhythm that way and erase everything that has happened in the past.’’

The Cameron Crazies were in full effect Monday night. The line started outside early. So did the trash talking once they got inside.
“I didn’t hear any during the game,’’ senior Kalana Greene said. “It was like gibberish. But before the game a couple guys in the student section were just saying, `You guys (stink). You’re going to lose.’ I’m like, `OK, thanks.’’’
The presence of the Huskies was largely responsible for Duke drawing its first sellout in its ninth game at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season. The Blue Devils had not drawn more than 5,237 (vs. then-No. 3 Ohio State Dec. 3).
“It was a real good atmosphere,’’ Greene said. “You’re standing out of bounds and your feet are almost on the line and the crowd is right in back of you. That only happens at Duke. I think they have the best student section in the country – behind ours.’’
Said Doty: “It’s a great experience. Everyone talks about the Cameron Crazies and how great the arena is. To be out there and to be a part of something that great is fun.’’

The Huskies have just one game at Gampel Pavilion remaining this season (Feb. 13 vs. St. John’s). And beginning with their game at Marquette Jan. 13, they currently find themselves in a stretch that will see them play nine of their final 15 regular season games on the road, including four their next six.
UConn has won its last 20 true road games.
“I wish the schedule was different,’’ coach Geno Auriemma said “I wish we had some home games, but there’s a lot of travel involved. It is what it is. You’re going to be tested by what you do when you’re not at home. When you’re on a plane. When you’re in a hotel room all day long. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of with this group as I was with that other group. To win this many games in a row in different gyms, in different environments, hotels and planes and buses … You have one day where you don’t make any shots. You have another day where guys foul out. And to be able to overcome all that stuff that’s probably partly the character of the players that we recruit. And having all these road games … Maybe that’s what this team is supposed to do. They’re supposed to prove themselves over and over and over again.’’

Here are Maya Moore’s thoughts of watching Greene, Doty and Tiffany Hayes when she was forced to spend the final 8:24 of the first half on the bench with two fouls: “When I was in foul trouble on the bench in the first half I was just cheesing like a little kid in the candy store because they were doing so well,’’ she said.
Greene was equally impressed with Doty and Hayes, who handled themselves extremely well in a hostile environment. Hayes (6) and Doty (5) combined for 11 points during UConn’s game-breaking 17-6 run early in the second half.
“Once they got the jitters and butterflies out of their system in the first few minutes they were really good,’’ Greene said. “I don’t think there are many other sophomores around the country that could come in here and in this atmosphere do what they did.’’

The Huskies had a season-low 24 points in the paint against Duke. But they tied their season-high by making 13 3-pointers.

The Huskies are taking a train to Philadelphia Friday for Saturday’s game at Villanova. Yes, that’s right, a train.

Rich