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It seems as if her name has been mentioned after nearly every game this season. Brianna Banks continues to make plays for the second-ranked Huskies off the bench. She continues to earn more and more playing time. And she continues to earn the trust of UConn coach Geno Auriemma and her teammates.

Banks, a sleek 5-foot-9 sophomore guard, has clearly been the most improved player for the Huskies through the first seven games. She continued her resurgence Monday by generating 11 points in 19 minutes in a 63-48 win over No. 9 Maryland.

“I don’t have any reservations about putting her in the game,’’ Auriemma said. “She’s exceeded my expectations already. I thought it was going to take her half the year to kind of use that transition from where she was last year to becoming a player that we can trust. She took the ball to the basket a couple times, and sometimes something good happened and sometimes it didn’t, but she didn’t stop being aggressive. And I think she’s getting to the point where she doesn’t listen to me that much, which I guess is a good sign that she’s becoming a pretty good player.’’

Banks scored nine points (3-of-4 3-pointers) in 13 minutes in the second half, making the shot of her career to date with 12:41 remaining and the Huskies leading 40-33.

Banks calmly stepped up and made a 3-pointer to stop a 6-0 run by the Terrapins.

“The 3 came from an unusual shooter because Brianna Banks last year I think she made three total for the year, and I think she’s got what nine already,’’ Auriemma said. “And she just shot the ball with a lot of confidence. And when she shot it, I could tell she thought it was going in.’’

Banks later made another 3-pointer to give UConn a 58-41 lead with 5:52 left. When she let the ball go, Auriemma was hardly happy with her shot selection. The end result, though, was soothing.

“She launched that one 3 from right in front of our bench, and I was (mad),’’ Auriemma said. “And then I saw it go in, and I was like, `Alright.’ Because we had just talked about how we got them in the 1-and-1. So Bria Hartley kept going to the basket and we kept going to the free throw line. Once we got them in the 1-and-1 we wanted to keep attacking on the dribble, and I know she can get to the basket any time she wants. And she just right in front of me … If I could have reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled it back … But she’s got a lot of confidence right now. Honest to God, she’s got a lot of confidence. God bless her.’’

Said Maryland coach Brenda Frese: “I thought Banks was spectacular. She gave them a ton of energy.’’

Banks, who has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in her career, is averaging 9.7 points and 2.3 assists in 18.6 minutes for the Huskies. She is confident. She is being both assertive and decisive with the ball. And because of these things she is shooting 63.2 percent from the field, 58.8 percent from 3-point range and solidifying her spot in UConn’s primary rotation.

“I said from the very beginning during the summer when you guys were asking, `Who’s improved?’ And she’s definitely one of the ones at the top of my list,’’ UConn senior Kelly Faris said. “There’s a handful of them that I think have really made an effort to improve and she’s doing great. And it’s huge to have that. We have Kaleena (Mosqueda-Lewis) go down (with a left quad contusion) and then we have Bri Banks who can come in and not be afraid to do anything, take it to the basket, knock down a 3 when we need it, get steals, get rebounds. She’s doing everything right now.’’

Rich

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The smile on the face of senior Kelly Faris grew instantly when she was asked if tonight’s bruising game against No. 9 Maryland was the type of game that she thrives in. She has long been taught by her parents, Bob and Connie, and her siblings to always be very competitive, always be very tough and to always put forth a full effort.

And against a Terrapins team that was extremely physical at both ends of the floor, Faris proved to be the best all-around player in UConn’s 63-48 win at the XL Center.

“I just wanted to be out there the whole time, until I got like really, really tired,’’ Faris said. “But, yeah, these are the fun games. And this is my last year, this is my last go around so tonight I was just like, `Alright, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’ But I’ve got to get careful not to get ahead of myself because that can happen too. But it’s more exciting. It’s more fun when people are pushing and shoving. We’ve got people diving on the floor every single play. It gets you excited and pumped up about it.’’

Faris finished with eight points (4-of-6 FG), seven rebounds, seven assists and a career-high eight steals in 34 minutes. Oh, yeah, she did not commit a turnover.

Afterward, UConn coach Geno Auriemma jokingly asked why he even had her out of the game for six minutes.

“She is just the life of our team offensively and defensively,’’ UConn center Stefanie Dolson said. “It’s amazing how many steals she can get and how many turnovers she can force the other team to have. She doesn’t talk a lot, but anyone who watches her play just knows how hard she works. She just really gets us going.’’

Said Maryland coach Brenda Frese: “She makes play after play and was so tough and so physical. She doesn’t take a play off. She continues to work defensively. Offensively, she runs you around in circles. She cuts hard. She never takes a possession off.’’

Not only did Faris fill up the stat sheet, she was equally impressive in locking down Maryland’s 6-foot-2 All-American Alyssa Thomas defensively. Thomas was limited to eight points (2-of-12 FG) and committed a season-high eight turnovers in 36 minutes.

“That’s why I’m amazed at the Big East coaches that none of them ever vote for her for anything,’’ Auriemma said. “So they’re stuck with the record they have, and we have the record we have because we have her. And it’s a great example of how somebody can dominate a game and take six shots. And I thought Kelly completely dominated the game. She dominated the entire game, and she defended Alyssa Thomas as well as anybody can be defended. She has an impact that goes beyond the stat sheet. When you look at the stat sheet there’s a bunch of stuff in there, but her impact is greater than that. It’s just amazing.

“If you watch it closely and watch it on film and don’t watch anybody else, you see how many things she does that impact the game. Some never show up on the stat sheet. She’s just an incredible athlete and an amazing player. Kelly’s been like that since her freshman year, and she’s only gotten better and better.’’

Thomas would have no part in recognizing Faris for her work defensively. Instead, she said it was nothing that UConn did. It was just a case of missing shots.

Of course, Faris could care less what Thomas had to say.

“It’s not about being recognized for anything,’’ Faris said. “It’s about getting a win. To me, I’m expected to do that. I’m expected to play defense. Those aren’t things that I think, `Oh, I should get credit for that.’ It’s expected. You come here and … Coach was saying the other day, `A lot of coaches settle for trying hard and trying hard is good enough. But that’s an expectation here so we’re beyond that. Trying hard isn’t good enough and you have to do this, this, and this perfect.’ Is that realistic? We’re not going to do everything
perfectly. But that’s what we have to strive for and not just trying hard.’’

Said Auriemma: “The longer people overlook her, the longer people don’t give her the benefit of the doubt and the respect she deserves and has earned, the better for us. Kelly is just going to keep doing that every game for the rest of the year. If Alyssa Thomas thinks that, that’s fine. I didn’t know that All-Americans turn the ball over eight times without someone helping them turn it over.

“Kelly just wants to win. Kelly wants to make plays that help our team win. She’s totally unaffected by other people’s opinions. She’s unaffected by how many shots she gets or how many points she scores. I’ve never seen a kid more dedicating to winning and more committed to winning. And don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some great winners here. There have been a lot that have been the same, but Kelly is as committed and dedicated to winning as anyone I’ve ever had at Connecticut.’’

Here is Auriemma response when he was asked if Faris is the toughness player on his team …

“Nobody else is even close,’’ Auriemma said. “I just think she’s at another level from conditioning to mental toughness to athletic ability. I think she showed tonight … People don’t recognize what a great athlete she is and how many things she can do and how quick she is and how fast she is and how strong she is. We don’t have anybody else like her. We don’t.’’

Rich

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UConn coach Geno Auriemma provided only a playful response when he was asked about the status of Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis heading into Thursday’s game against No. 10 Penn State at Gampel Pavilion.

Mosqueda-Lewis, who did not play against Colgate Nov. 28 due to a concussion, missed the entire second half tonight against No. 9 Maryland with a left quad contusion. She left the game for good with 2:45 left in the first half.

“Probable. No, doubtful for Thursday,’’ Auriemma said. “I sound like Bill Belichick now, huh.’’

Rich