UConn women's basketball

Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for UConn guard Caroline Doty. She has pushed past three tears of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee to resume her career. She overcame a sprained left ankle this preseason and, most recently, a bone bruise in her left knee.

Returning to the court, though, is only the first step. Doty is not satisfied with being back in the starting lineup for the third-ranked Huskies. She wants to again be a player that the team can rely on to contribute on a game-to-game basis. And through the first 21 games this season, that had not been the case.

Doty had struggled offensively to get to the basket off the dribble and to score from the perimeter. However, with a chance for UConn to secure a confidence-building win against No. 5 Duke Monday, she rediscovered her shooting touch and played a significant role in a 61-45 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“It helps a lot,’’ Doty said. “There’s still so much work to be done, but to have a game like this … If I continue to work hard hopefully there’s going to be more games like this game. Make this kind of like the norm for myself. But that’s just me putting a lot of pressure on myself knowing that there’s going to be a few games here and there. But if I can have more good games than OK games I’ll be happy with that.’’

Doty, who entered the game shooting 40.0 percent from the field (37.3 percent from 3-point range), finished with 11 points (4-of-5 FG), three rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. She made all three of her 3-point attempts and committed just one turnover on a night when UConn committed 21.

Doty had scored a combined 10 points in her last three games and had reached double figures in scoring once in her previous seven games and only five times in her first 20.

“She hasn’t made any shots,’’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She hasn’t made a lot of shots in practice. She didn’t make a lot of shots in shootaround. I think she’s been struggling a little bit. In and out with the knee bothering her and not bothering her. And I think when she made her first one I think that kind of let the air out a little bit. People forget Caroline knocked in some big shots when she played her sophomore year. I’m just happy to get her back to that point where she feels like she’s contributing. When you’re coming back from injuries like she has sometimes you wonder whether or not you’re contributing. She’s the first one out all the time. We’ve got Kaleena (Mosqueda-Lewis) coming off (the bench) and everybody talking about … It’s always the new kid in town. And I think Caroline just wants to feel like she’s contributing. And I think (Monday) she certainly did that. And I was thrilled for her.’’

Doty was forced to sit out UConn’s game at Syracuse Jan. 25 with the aforementioned bone bruise in her knee. It was an injury she suffered at DePaul Jan. 21 when she played only two minutes, 20 seconds. And she looked rusty in her return Saturday against South Florida, finishing with three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field (1-of-5 3-pointers) in 26 minutes.

The rust had all but disappeared Monday as Doty recorded five points, two rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes in the first half. She then made a 3-pointer with 18:34 left in the game to give UConn a 34-25 lead.

Doty made another 3-pointer with 12:46 left to cap an 8-0 run that staked the Huskies to a 42-29 lead.

“It was unfortunate with the knee bruise,’’ Doty said. “We’re just fortunate that it was only that minor setback. It felt good to come out and be able to feel comfortable again, get that confidence back up. But you take one day at a time, one game at a time. I just hope that I can come back and be consistent at practice and then keep moving forward throughout the rest of the season.’’

Doty is averaging 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 21.0 minutes in 21 games this season. She is shooting 41.7 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and has a team-high 1.8 assists to turnover ratio.

Following an off-day today, Doty will look to build on her success against Duke in practice Thursday. The Huskies have eight games remaining in the regular season, including four against ranked opponents. This will provide her with ample opportunity to build some momentum heading into the postseason.

“I’m really proud of her,’’ UConn sophomore Bria Hartley said. “She works hard all the time. You know her heart is in this every time she steps on the court. And for her to come out and play this well (Monday) it’s a good thing for her and I’m really happy for her.’’

Rich

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie was asked to comment on the significant contribution of UConn’s 6-foot-3 freshman center Kiah Stokes following Monday’s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. At first, McCallie did not know quite how to answer the question. So she took a look at the final boxscore for some assistance.

When she saw that Stokes had finished with four points had season-highs of 12 rebounds, five blocks and 28 minutes in UConn’s 61-45 victory, McCallie knew exactly what to say.

“Probably the difference maker in the game,’’ McCallie said. “I didn’t realize she corralled 12 rebounds, which is more than anybody on our team. And she’s a sub off the bench. Yeah, she deserves a lot of kudos for that. I didn’t realize that she collected that many.’’

Stokes came through on a night when UConn badly needed her to. Starting center Stefanie Dolson picked up her second foul just three minutes, 56 seconds into the game. UConn coach Geno Auriemma did not hesitate in sending Stokes to the scorers table to take her shot at defending Duke’s talented 6-3 freshman center Elizabeth Williams. And Stokes, who continues to improve, responded.

“That was two pretty good freshmen going at each other,’’ Auriemma said. “I think Elizabeth right now is little more advanced as an offensive player than Kiah is. But it hasn’t been often this year that the coaches were telling me to get Kiah in for defense because she was going to alter shots and rebound the ball. She’s such an athletic individual and she’s got such long reach that something like this is what you expect of her when you see her. But it’s been a little bit difficult getting it out of her. But we keep going to her and keep going to her because we had always hoped that this is there somewhere. It’s just getting it out of her.’’

Stokes got rolling immediately, producing two points, two rebounds and a steal in the first 2:44 she was on the court. It was only the beginning.

Stokes would generate seven rebounds and four blocks in 13 minutes in the second half when UConn took command. She had a key blocked shot on Williams with 8:09 left in the game and Duke looking to cut the Huskies’ lead to 10. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis made a 3-pointer 11 seconds later to stake UConn to a 48-33 lead.

“I guess I could be (happy), but I can’t be happy with this one game,’’ Stokes said. “I have to continue to grow from this and continue to play hard every day and get rebounds and block shots. That I know I can do to help my team. Doing anything to help our team is all I can do. And I know that my teammates are gaining a little more trust in me so I’ve got to continue to keep that. I don’t want to let my teammates down, that’s No. 1.’’

Mosqueda-Lewis missed each of her first six shots, including three 3-pointers, in the first half Monday. Auriemma wanted to make sure that she did not get tentative and stop shooting the ball in the second half so he had a talk with her at halftime.

Mosqueda-Lewis heeded Auriemma’s advice. And the first shot she took in the second half was one of the biggest of the game. Her 3-pointer with 16:13 left in the game stopped a run of four straight points by Duke and gave UConn a 37-29 lead.

Mosqueda-Lewis missed one more shot before connecting on a second 3-pointer with 7:58 left that gave the Huskies a 48-33 lead. She finished with six points (2-of-10 FG; 2-of-6 3-pointers), seven rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes.

“I’m always telling her, `You should never be worried about taking a shot,’’’ Auriemma said. “She passed up a couple shots (Monday) too. And that’s what happens. Young kids start missing and they go, `OK, I’m not going to shoot it.’ And I let her know about it at halftime and on the bench. I said, `You’re out there for a reason.’ So hopefully she doesn’t let it bother her. But when you’re a young kid and you know people are counting on you to make shots and you’re not it’s easy to just say, `OK, well I don’t want to hurt the team anymore so I’ll stop shooting.’ But those two she made were huge. No question about it. They were really, really huge.’’

Huskies’ assistant coach Shea Ralph is going to see Saniya Chong, a 5-9 junior guard from Ossining (N.Y.) High, play Tuesday night in New Jersey. Assistant coach Marisa Moseley is leaving on a recruiting trip to California. One of the players she is taking a look at is Karlie Samuelson, a 5-11 junior guard from Edison High.

Rich

Tiffany Hayes has crashed to the floor so many times during her career that you just expect her to bounce back up and continue competing. But after she banged heads with Duke’s Shay Selby with 3:24 left in the first half Monday Hayes did not get right back up.

She remained on the floor for several minutes before making her way to the UConn bench. Hayes sat out the rest of the half. She did not start the second half and again returned to the locker room with team athletic trainer Rosemary Ragle with about 16 minutes left in the game.

Ragle performed some more tests and Hayes was back on the court for the Huskies with 12:43 left. She would finish with eight points (3-of-10 FG), five rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.

“I didn’t see it,’’ Auriemma said. “We have this thing on our team that you can’t be laying on the floor there like that and expect to stay in the game. So you either get up and you keep playing or if you lay down there you’re coming out. None of this crap where a kid lays there for five minutes and plays the next 25 like nothing happened. You’re either hurt or you’re not. So when she stayed down I knew something happened. And when she came out she didn’t look good. And that’s why we didn’t start her the second half because Rosemary wanted to take her back down there again and put her through the whole tests that the athletic trainers have for the kids when they get hit in the head. She gave us the thumbs up and said everything’s fine. We were prepared to play the whole second half without her if we had to. When I came upstairs to start the second half I didn’t think she was going to play in the second half. I didn’t think she was going to play.’’

Rich

The Huskies had an 11-point lead at No. 1 Baylor with 13:17 left in the game Dec. 18. They lost 66-61.

The Huskies led by as many as eight in the second half at No. 2 Notre Dame Jan. 7 and had a chance to win the game in the final 20 seconds of regulation. They lost 74-67 in overtime.

The Huskies have yet another opportunity to win a game on the road against a Top 5 opponent tonight when they face No. 5 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium (7; ESPN2). UConn coach Geno Auriemma has been preaching that good teams win on the road, and the players have absorbed his message.

“Coach always says the good teams are the ones that win on the road,’’ junior Kelly Faris said. “And the two big challenges that we’ve had on the road, we’ve lost. And I think more so, not that the other teams didn’t play well, I think it was more one of those things that we lost it. We had the lead and we just couldn’t contain it. It would be a big win for us to kind of finally buckle down and finish a game off on the road.’’

Said freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis: “Coach has been talking about great teams win on the road. And I definitely feel like we are one of the great teams and that we can be great. We just have to show it. We gave up two leads on the road that we should’ve never gave up. We’ve just got to make sure that once we get that lead we’ve got to make sure we stay on top of everything. We’ve got to make sure we’re capitalizing on all of our defensive steals. We’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of the ball. We’ve got to make sure we rebound. All those things that Coach has been harping on every day in practice we’ve got to make sure that we do that the whole game.’’

Mosqueda-Lewis will be seeking some personal redemption as well. Sure, she scored 15 points against Baylor. But after giving UConn a 50-39 lead with a jumper with 13:17 remaining, she missed her final six shots.

Mosqueda-Lewis scored only seven points against Notre Dame, one of only four games this season that she has failed to reach double figures. She also attempted a season-low seven shots in the game, going scoreless and attempting only three shots over the final 26 minutes, 36 seconds that she was on the floor.

“Both games I came out pretty strong,’’ Mosqueda-Lewis said. “I did well. I scored within the first couple minutes I was out there and then after that I kind of disappeared. I went away. But I’ve been working on that. I’ve been trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again and I’m going to do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen at Duke. And I’m pretty sure it won’t.’’

Mosqueda-Lewis admitted that the magnitude of the game affected her play in UConn’s only losses this season. And entering tonight’s game against the Blue Devils, she believes that she has made the necessary changes to succeed down the stretch.

“I definitely was probably feeling a little overwhelmed,’’ Mosqueda-Lewis said. “But I don’t know what really happened. I kind of just froze once I was out there and once it got towards the end. And I probably did look at Bria (Hartley) and say, `OK, well, Bria’s doing good. So let’s just let Bria keep doing it.’

“I definitely do (feel it’s going to be different). I have a lot more confidence in myself. I know what I need to do at the end of the game. I know that I’ve been paying a lot more attention to everything that Coach has been saying in our huddles during the game. I know that I need to execute every single time I go out there.’’

Not only will two of the top teams in the nation be squaring off tonight, but the game will feature the nation’s top two freshmen in Mosqueda-Lewis and Duke 6-foot-3 center Elizabeth Williams.

Mosqueda-Lewis is averaging 14.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 27.8 minutes for the Huskies. She has scored at least 21 points in five games this season, three times scoring 25. Williams, who has already set Duke’s single-season freshman record for blocks (73), is averaging team-highs of 14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in 29.6 minutes. She has scored at least 20 points in three games and has one triple double (18 points, 16 rebounds, 12 blocks vs. Wake Forest Jan. 6) and three double-doubles.

“It’s going to be exciting,’’ Mosqueda-Lewis said. “I know it’s going to be a battle for our post players inside and it’s going to be up to us guards to put a lot of pressure on their guards to make them do tough things and make it not easy for them to get it inside to her because Elizabeth is a great post player. She’s one of the best post players that I’ve played with probably ever. She’s really aggressive. She runs the floor really well. She’s just one of those post players that’s kind of hard to stop. You have to pick and choose what you’re going to let her do, where you’re going let her get position at. It’s going to be tough.’’

Mosqueda-Lewis, Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley were teammates with Williams on the USA U-19 World Championship team that won the gold medal in Chile last July. Mosqueda-Lewis and Williams on the U-17 World Championship team that won the gold medal in France in 2010. And Mosqueda-Lewis, Kiah Stokes and Williams were teammates on the U-16 National Team that won the gold medal in Mexico City in 2009.

Rich

The selection process must have been as easy as it has been in recent memory for Big East officials. How could anyone other than UConn senior Tiffany Hayes be named the conference Player of the Week? Not after the ridiculous week she had.

Hayes averaged 34.0 points (21-of-30 FG; 8-of-12 3-pointers), 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 35.0 minutes in wins over Syracuse and South Florida last week. The Big East did in fact reward her for her success today by honoring her as the conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

Hayes, who set a UConn two-game record with 68 points, is the first member of the Huskies to receive the honor this season.

She had a career-high 35 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes against the Orange last Wednesday. She followed with 33 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 39 minutes against the Bulls Saturday.

Ossining High coach Dan Ricci stressed that they are “still early in the recruiting process,’’ but 5-foot-9 junior guard Saniya Chong has landed on UConn’s radar. Huskies’ assistant coach Shea Ralph is expected to attend Chong’s game at Northern Highlands (N.J.) Tuesday.

Chong’s statistics this season are like those you see in a video game. She is averaging 34.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 5.3 steals for Ossining (15-0).

Ricci said that Chong has received scholarship offers from Rutgers, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, St. John’s, Louisville, Marist, Hofstra and is receiving “strong interest from several others.’’

Rich

Here’s my advance for Monday’s nationally televised showdown between No. 3 UConn and No. 5 Duke …

There were high expectations when Bria Hartley joined the UConn women’s basketball program last season. She was a talented guard with exceptional playmaking and scoring ability. There was a toughness about her and a propensity to be a leader too.

But Hartley had played in only one game when the Huskies met No. 2 Baylor and 6-foot-8 All-American Brittney Griner at the XL Center. It was an ideal spot for Hartley to prove that she was as good as her resume indicated in front of 12,628 and a national television audience.

She missed her first six shots of the game as she looked like a typical inexperienced freshman. But like a seasoned veteran, Hartley never wavered. She scored eight points in the final 3:56, making two 3-pointers, to help lead UConn to a come-from-behind 65-64 win. She had laid the foundation for establishing herself as a big-game player, something that she has only expanded on this season.

“She’s just a competitor,’’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She likes the challenge. I think Bria’s a really confident kid. She doesn’t really get affected that much by what’s happening. She knows she’s good. She believes in herself and she plays really hard. I get on Bria Hartley about some of the decisions she makes or what she does with the ball at crazy times or how she might lose her man or whatever and things that I want to fix about her. But I don’t think we have a better competitor or anybody that plays harder than Bria. And that’s why in the big games it helps her so much.’’

Hartley, who is having an All-American caliber season, has enough confidence in herself that she expects herself to play well in the biggest games on the schedule. She is averaging 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.9 minutes in 23 career games against ranked opponents.

But she has been even better this season. Hartley is averaging a team-high 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals in 38.0 minutes in six such games.
She will look to continue her big game success Monday night when No. 3 UConn (19-2) faces No. 5 Duke (17-2) at Cameron Indoor Stadium (7; ESPN2).

“I always like to stay pretty confident because I think one thing is if you don’t think you can do it nobody else will think you can,’’ Hartley said. “So just make sure you go out there and play hard and play confident. You know if you have an open shot you know you can hit it. And even if you’re missing, go out there and still have the guts to still take that shot after you missed seven in a row or do something else. Get in the lane or create for your teammates. Just go out there and believe in your ability and know you’re a good player and you can play well in these games.’’

Hartley, competitive by nature with a burning desire to win, has been at her best against the elite teams in the country this season. She is averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 37.3 minutes in three games against Top 5 teams.

Hartley had 19 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals in 38 minutes against No. 4 Stanford Nov. 21. And she had a season-high 25 points at No. 1 Baylor Dec. 18 and again at No. 2 Notre Dame Jan. 7.

She also added a career-high nine rebounds and six assists in a career-high 45 minutes against the Irish.

“That’s Bria,’’ UConn junior Kelly Faris said. “That’s her attitude. She’s going to say, `OK, I’m taking it on my shoulders and I’m going. I’m going with it. I’m going to lead you. I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that.’ And you just kind of feed off of her. So she’s definitely got that mentality that if she wants something done she’s going to do anything and everything to get it done.’’

The ability of Hartley, who is averaging 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 36.0 minutes in five career games against Top 5 foes, to produce under the glare of the spotlight has taken some pressure off of players such as red-hot senior Tiffany Hayes and star freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. It is Hartley who has evolved into UConn’s go-to player in key spots in key games.

“She doesn’t really get fazed by much,’’ former UConn All-American Sue Bird said. “Even just in practice that I’ve been around, when Coach Auriemma yells at her she just kind of takes it. It doesn’t bring her too far down. When she’s playing well, from what I notice, she doesn’t get too high up. She just kind of stays even keel. And they’re probably going to need that from her. It’s nice to have that somebody who you can count on, whether it’s a big moment or just day-to-day kind of the routine of practice and games and what-not.’’

Coupled with her prowess against the nation’s best, Hartley is averaging career-highs of 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 32.3 minutes (team-high) this season. She is shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and has a 1.5 assist to turnover ratio.

Hartley has played so well on the big stage that UConn sophomore Stefanie Dolson said that she expects her to play well in every game at this point. Hartley will get another opportunity to add to her legacy tonight against the Blue Devils.

“I think she proved it last year, except no one noticed because we had Maya Moore,’’ Auriemma said. “But you look at all the big games we played last year, starting with the Baylor game at home, she just has knack for making big shots or making big plays.’’

Rich

UConn coach Geno Auriemma, as usual, is not placing a great amount of significance on Monday’s Big Monday match-up at No. 5 Duke. He sees it as a chance for the Huskies to continue to improve and a chance to play well on the road against a talented team.

The Huskies have won the last three games against the Blue Devils by an average of 34.7 points. Last season they rolled to a 75-40 win in the NCAA Philadelphia regional final March 29 and an 87-51 win at Gampel Pavilion Jan. 31.

“I think certainly Duke has a lot of incentive going into this game based on what happened last year the two times that we played them,’’ Auriemma said. “I think you can help yourself an awful lot by getting a win. But to me, it is a fine line between winning and losing. The two big road games that we played, three or four plays either way and maybe you win that game. Both games. So I don’t know that changes your whole season. If we had won those two games and were undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country, I don’t know that would make our team any different than it is right now.

“So going down there Monday night in late January, the goal is to win. But, more importantly, the goal is to play great. I would be disappointed if we don’t play well. Not like I was… you come out of the Baylor game and you say, `Man I’m really disappointed. We should’ve won that game.’ But we played really well for the most part. So I want to come out of there Monday night and I want us to win, No. 1. But I want us to play really, really well. I want us to really play well. I want our young guys to play in an environment that’s not easy to play in, and play really well. I think that would be a big step for them, for the three freshmen.’’

Rich

Senior Tiffany Hayes has been riding the best stretch of her career over the past few weeks. She has scored in double figures in a career-high 10 straight games. She has had at least five rebounds in a career-high six straight games.

Hayes is averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals during this 10-game run, shooting an extraordinary 64.1 percent from the field (66-of-103) and 51.5 percent from 3-point range (17-of-33). And she has punctuated her surge by scoring a team-record 68 points over the last two games – 33 against South Florida Saturday and a career-high 335 at Syracuse last Wednesday.

The stretch has gained plenty of attention. But, apparently, the Wooden Award National Advisory Board has not been among those who have taken notice. While teammates Bria Hartley and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 20, Hayes was not.

The omission came as a surprise to South Florida coach Jose Fernandez.

“I was surprised her name’s not in there,’’ said Fernandez, who is a member of the State Farm All-America committee. “I think she’s very, very talented. You know it’s different at the end of the year. You guys know the media and the WBCA State Farm All-America team is different from the AP All-America team. There’s so many All-America teams. Maybe it’s a product… I think Hartley’s had a very good year. I was surprised by (Hayes not being named). Do I think she’s deserving to be on that list? Yes, in my opinion.’’

Hayes, who leads the Huskies in scoring (16.5) and is second in rebounding (5.9), steals (2.2) and minutes (29.0) and third in assists (3.3), does not seem bothered at all by the omission. In fact, she admitted that she didn’t even now about the list.

“I wasn’t aware,’’ Hayes said. “But, at the same time, they’ve been there. They’re on the committee. They know who the best players are and what not. So I’m not going to let that get me down. I’m just going to continue to play the way I’ve been playing the last couple weeks or so to help my team out.’’

Here are UConn coach Geno Auriemma’s thoughts on Hayes’ omission from the Wooden Award Midseason list:

“I don’t think there are 20 players in the country that I would rather have than Tiffany,’’ Auriemma said. “And if she played somewhere else, she’d be averaging 35 points every night. But I think it goes to show you that it’s all about what you do in those big TV games that everybody watches. Because we’ve had a couple of those where Bria’s played great and Kaleena has shot the ball great. Obviously, they’re the two people who have gotten the most attention for us. But when it comes right down to it, nobody’s as good an offensive player as Tiffany Hayes, maybe in the whole league. I don’t know there’s somebody you would say, `Well, you know there’s this kid playing here that’s a way better offensive player than Tiffany Hayes.’ I don’t know that there is a better offensive player in our league.’’

The annual Wooden Award Gala will be held in Los Angeles April 6. Auriemma will be honored for receiving the Legends of Coaching Award.

Here is something to keep an eye on Monday night when the Huskies face No. 5 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium: Maya Moore set the UConn record for most points over a three-game span with 94 last season. She had 31 against Marquette Dec. 9; 22 against Ohio State Dec. 19; and 41 against Florida State Dec. 21.

Rich