# 2018–19 UConn Huskies women's basketball team

The 2018–19 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 34th season at UConn, played their home games at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and were sixth year members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 35–3, 16–0 in AAC play to win the AAC regular season championship. They defeated East Carolina, South Florida, and UCF to win the AAC women's tournament title. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament. As the No. 2 seed, they defeated Towson and Buffalo to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They defeated UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen and Louisville in the Elite Eight to reach their 20th Final Four. In the National Semifinal, they lost in the rematch of last year's national semifinal game to Notre Dame.

## Media

Every Connecticut women's game was televised. Excluding exhibitions, most Connecticut games aired on SNY, an ESPN network, or a CBS network. Exhibition games and games that aired on SNY were also streamed on Husky Vision. Every game was broadcast on the UConn IMG Sports Network with an extra audio broadcast available online to listen to through Husky Vision.

## Off-season
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Andra Espinoza-Hunter | 2 | G | 5'11" | Freshman | Ossining, NY | Transferred to Mississippi State |
| Kia Nurse | 11 | G | 6'0" | Senior | Hamilton, ON | Graduated / 2018 WNBA draft |
| Gabby Williams | 15 | F | 5'11" | Senior | Reno, NV | Graduated / 2018 WNBA draft |
| Azurá Stevens | 23 | G/F | 6'6" | RS Junior | Raleigh, NC | Declared for 2018 WNBA draft |

### Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Christyn Williams G | Little Rock, AR | Central Arkansas Christian School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | N/A |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 ||||||
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa F | Winder, GA | Winder-Barrow | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | N/A |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 98 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017. ||||||

## Roster

* Alexis Gordon was only on the roster for the fall semester, after which she transferred from UConn.

## Games
### Exhibition
#### Vanguard

The Huskies opened their exhibition schedule against Vanguard, a team they played as an exhibition in the 2015–16 season. Freshman Christyn Williams scored the first four points for Connecticut and had 10 points by halftime. Seniors Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier scored 26 points each. After a dominating first half, coach Auriemma gave more playing time to the bench, who were outscored 15–0 in the fourth quarter. The final score was 96–30.

#### Southern Connecticut State

After scoring 26 points in the opening exhibition game against Vanguard, Katie Lou Samuelson repeated that feat in the second exhibition game against Southern Connecticut. All 11 Huskies played in the game. Christyn Williams and Crystal Dangerfield were also double-digit scorers with 18 and 10 points respectively. The Huskies won the game 99–45.

### Regular season
#### Ohio State

UConn opened the regular season with a game against Ohio State. Four Huskies recorded double digit scoring, led by Samuelson with 19, Dangerfield with 18, Collier with 17, and Walker with 15. Connecticut scored off the opening tip and never trailed, winning the game 85–53.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| 11/04/2018* 1:00 pm, HuskyVision | No. 2 | Vanguard | W 96–30 | | 26 – 2 tied | 12 – Walker | 8 – Dangerfield | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,209) Storrs, CT |
| 11/15/2018* 7:00 pm, HuskyVision | No. 2 | Southern Connecticut State | W 99–45 | | 26 – Samuelson | 11 – Nelson-Ododa | 9 – Collier | XL Center (6,337) Hartford, CT |
| Regular season |||||||||
| 11/11/2018* 12:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 2 | Ohio State | W 85–53 | 1–0 | 19 – Samuelson | 7 – Samuelson | 5 – Samuelson | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,828) Storrs, CT |
| 11/17/2018* 6:00 pm, SNY | No. 2 | vs. Vanderbilt Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase | W 80–42 | 2–0 | 19 – Dangerfield | 16 – Collier | 7 – Dangerfield | Mohegan Sun Arena (7,375) Uncasville, CT |
| 11/22/2018* 7:30 pm, FloHoops | No. 2 | vs. Ole Miss Paradise Jam tournament Reef Division | W 90–50 | 3–0 | 22 – Samuelson | 10 – Collier | 5 – Samuelson | Sports and Fitness Center (2,162) Saint Thomas, USVI |
| 11/23/2018* 7:30 pm, FloHoops | No. 2 | vs. St. John's Paradise Jam Tournament Reef Division | W 65–55 | 4–0 | 19 – Samuelson | 9 – Collier | 6 – Collier | Sports and Fitness Center (2,373) Saint Thomas, USVI |
| 11/24/2018* 7:30 pm, FloHoops | No. 2 | vs. Purdue Paradise Jam Tournament Reef Division | W 86–40 | 5–0 | 22 – Samuelson | 10 – Collier | 8 – Dangerfield | Sports and Fitness Center (2,703) Saint Thomas, USVI |
| 11/28/2018* 7:00 pm, SNY | No. 2 | No. 16 DePaul | W 99–63 | 6–0 | 24 – Collier | 10 – Collier | 7 – Tied | XL Center (7,186) Hartford, CT |
| 12/02/2018* 4:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 1 Notre Dame Jimmy V Classic/Rivalry | W 89–71 | 7–0 | 28 – Williams | 15 – Collier | 6 – Samuelson | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| 12/04/2018* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 1 | at Saint Louis | W 98–42 | 8–0 | 22 – Collier | 11 – Collier | 10 – Dangerfield | Chaifetz Arena (7,105) St. Louis, MO |
| 12/08/2018* 1:00 pm, SNY | No. 1 | Seton Hall | W 99–61 | 9–0 | 26 – Samuelson | 16 – Samuelson | 6 – Samuelson | XL Center (9,536) Hartford, CT |
| 12/19/2018* 8:30 pm, FS1 | No. 1 | at Oklahoma | W 72–63 | 10–0 | 23 – Collier | 17 – Collier | 4 – Collier | Lloyd Noble Center (5,808) Norman, OK |
| 12/22/2018* 3:00 pm, P12N | No. 1 | at No. 14 California | W 76–66 | 11–0 | 20 – Samuelson | 11 – Samuelson | 4 – Tied | Haas Pavilion (10,818) Berkeley, CA |
| 01/03/2019* 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 8 Baylor | L 57–68 | 11–1 | 16 – Collier | 11 – Collier | 4 – Collier | Ferrell Center (10,284) Waco, TX |
| 01/06/2019 12:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 1 | at Houston | W 81–61 | 12–1 (1–0) | 19 – Samuelson | 9 – Tied | 6 – Dangerfield | Fertitta Center (3,644) Houston, TX |
| 01/09/2019 7:00 pm, SNY | No. 3 | Cincinnati | W 82–38 | 13–1 (2–0) | 23 – Samuelson | 10 – Samuelson | 10 – Dangerfield | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (7,591) Storrs, CT |
| 01/13/2019 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | South Florida | W 63–46 | 14–1 (3–0) | 19 – Samuelson | 7 – Collier | 5 – Samuelson | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,534) Storrs, CT |
| 01/16/2019 8:00 pm, SNY | No. 2 | at Tulane | W 75–33 | 15–1 (4–0) | 34 – Walker | 10 – Tied | 5 – Dangerfield | Devlin Fieldhouse (2,055) New Orleans, LA |
| 01/19/2019 12:00 pm, SNY | No. 2 | at Temple | W 88–67 | 16–1 (5–0) | 30 – Collier | 12 – Collier | 9 – Dangerfield | Liacouras Center (4,692) Philadelphia, PA |
| 01/23/2019 7:00 pm, SNY | No. 3 | SMU | W 79–39 | 17–1 (6–0) | 22 – Collier | 8 – Collier | 8 – Dangerfield | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,402) Storrs, CT |
| 01/27/2019 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | UCF | W 93–57 | 18–1 (7–0) | 23 – Collier | 11 – Walker | 9 – Dangerfield | XL Center (12,139) Hartford, CT |
| 01/31/2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 3 Louisville | L 69–78 | 18–2 | 20 – Collier | 12 – Walker | 6 – Collier | KFC Yum! Center (17,023) Louisville, KY |
| 02/02/2019 12:00 pm, SNY | No. 2 | at Cincinnati | W 65–55 | 19–2 (8–0) | 20 – Collier | 11 – Collier | 5 – Dangerfield | Fifth Third Arena (2,996) Cincinnati, OH |
| 02/06/2019 7:00 pm, SNY | No. 5 | East Carolina | W 118–55 | 20–2 (9–0) | 31 – Samuelson | 8 – Samuelson | 12 – Dangerfield | XL Center (8,469) Hartford, CT |
| 02/09/2019 1:00 pm, SNY | No. 5 | Temple | W 109–74 | 21–2 (10–0) | 30 – Collier | 14 – Collier | 9 – Dangerfield | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT |
| 02/11/2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 4 | No. 11 South Carolina | W 97–79 | 22–2 | 31 – Collier | 16 – Collier | 6 – Collier | XL Center (11,740) Hartford, CT |
| 02/17/2019 2:00 pm, SNY | No. 4 | at UCF | W 78–41 | 23–2 (11–0) | 18 – Collier | 11 – Collier | 7 – Dangerfield | CFE Arena (5,844) Orlando, FL |
| 02/20/2019 7:00 pm, SNY | No. 3 | Memphis | W 102–45 | 24–2 (12–0) | 32 – Samuelson | 12 – Collier | 8 – Dangerfield | XL Center (8,869) Hartford, CT |
| 02/24/2019 3:00 pm, SNY | No. 3 | at Tulsa | W 68–49 | 25–2 (13–0) | 21 – Walker | 15 – Collier | 6 – Samuelson | Reynolds Center (2,612) Tulsa, OK |
| 02/26/2019 7:30 pm, SNY | No. 2 | at Wichita State | W 84–47 | 26–2 (14–0) | 32 – Collier | 12 – Collier | 8 – Dangerfield | Charles Koch Arena (6,156) Wichita, KS |
| 03/02/2018 1:00 pm, SNY | No. 2 | Houston | W 83–61 | 27–2 (15–0) | 29 – Collier | 9 – Tied | 8 – Dangerfield | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT |
| 03/04/2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 2 | at South Florida | W 57–47 | 28–2 (16–0) | 17 – Dangerfield | 7 – Walker | 9 – Dangerfield | Yuengling Center (5,614) Tampa, FL |
| AAC Women's tournament |||||||||
| 03/09/2019 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | (1) No. 2 | vs. (8) East Carolina Quarterfinals | W 92–65 | 29–2 | 37 – Collier | 17 – Nelson-Ododa | 6 – Tied | Mohegan Sun Arena (5,935) Uncasville, CT |
| 03/10/2019 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | (1) No. 2 | vs. (5) South Florida Semifinals | W 81–45 | 30–2 | 24 – Walker | 12 – Collier | 4 – Dangerfield | Mohegan Sun Arena (5,872) Uncasville, CT |
| 03/11/2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (1) No. 2 | vs. (2) UCF Championship Game | W 66–45 | 31–2 | 25 – Collier | 14 – Collier | 6 – Dangerfield | Mohegan Sun Arena (6,001) Uncasville, CT |
| NCAA Women's tournament |||||||||
| 03/22/2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (2 A) No. 2 | (15 A) Towson First Round | W 110–61 | 32–2 | 23 – Collier | 14 – Collier | 6 – Samuelson | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (4,159) Storrs, CT |
| 03/24/2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN | (2 A) No. 2 | (10 A) Buffalo Second Round | W 84–72 | 33–2 | 27 – Collier | 16 – Collier | 8 – Collier | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (6,390) Storrs, CT |
| 03/29/2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN | (2 A) No. 2 | vs. (6 A) No. 20 UCLA Sweet Sixteen | W 69–61 | 34–2 | 25 – Collier | 11 – Walker | 4 – Tied | Times Union Center (8,765) Albany, NY |
| 03/31/2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN | (2 A) No. 2 | vs. (1 A) No. 5 Louisville Elite Eight | W 80–73 | 35–2 | 29 – Samuelson | 13 – Collier | 6 – Collier | Times Union Center (9,204) Albany, NY |
| 04/05/2019* 9:30 pm, ESPN2 | (2 A) No. 2 | vs. (1 C) No. 3 Notre Dame Final Four/Rivalry | L 76–81 | 35–3 | 20 – Samuelson | 13 – Collier | 9 – Dangerfield | Amalie Arena (20,062) Tampa, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. A=Albany Region. All times are in EST. |||||||||

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| (RV) | Received Votes |
^ Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

## Player statistics

| Player | Games Played | Minutes | Field Goals | Three Pointers | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | Points |
| DangerfieldCrystal Dangerfield | 38 | 1327 | 184 | 82 | 61 | 125 | 225 | 2 | 60 | 511 |
| CollierNapheesa Collier | 38 | 1270 | 323 | 15 | 131 | 411 | 134 | 64 | 56 | 792 |
| WilliamsCristyn Williams | 38 | 1217 | 171 | 47 | 54 | 122 | 86 | 8 | 46 | 443 |
| SamuelsonKatie Lou Samuelson | 34 | 1126 | 207 | 89 | 127 | 215 | 132 | 20 | 41 | 630 |
| WalkerMegan Walker | 36 | 1125 | 168 | 50 | 49 | 241 | 68 | 9 | 37 | 435 |
| Nelson-OdodaOlivia Nelson-Ododa | 38 | 533 | 111 | 0 | 50 | 145 | 25 | 54 | 15 | 166 |
| CoombsMikayla Coombs | 31 | 356 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 49 | 25 | 5 | 22 | 27 |
| IrwinKyla Irwin | 30 | 310 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 52 | 22 | 2 | 9 | 48 |
| BentMolly Bent | 27 | 206 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 18 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 53 |
| CamaraBatouly Camara | 25 | 120 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 39 |
| GordonAlexis Gordon | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |