UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Geno Auriemma said he texted Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico last weekend after the Wolverines’ upset win over Notre Dame. The Huskies’ Hall of Fame coach told Barnes Arico he wasn’t looking forward to playing No. 6 Michigan, who had knocked off the Fighting Irish by 39 points in one of the most impressive performances of the college basketball season thus far.
“I’m not looking forward to Friday,” Barnes Arico replied, according to Auriemma.
“Maybe we ought to have a couple drinks, go gamble a little bit and call it a day,” Auriemma said.
Well, on Friday night the coaches weren’t at the craps or blackjack tables inside the Mohegan Sun Casino. No drinks either (at least not during the 40-minute contest). Instead they paced the sideline, and stood by their respective benches.
Each faced the challenge they expected.
The No. 1 Huskies prevailed 72-69, but they squandered an 18-point halftime lead and were up by just two entering the fourth quarter. UConn led by 10 with 2:41 remaining — seemingly on its way to a fifth straight double-digit victory — but even that cushion evaporated as a late Michigan flurry cut the Huskies’ lead to one with 12.1 seconds remaining.
A win keeps the defending national champions undefeated on the season — that’s the positive — but two UConn teams showed up on Friday. The first suffocated the Wolverines throughout the first half, holding Michigan to five first-quarter points. The second had seven turnovers in the final 9:30 of the third quarter and needed a layup by Sarah Strong with just over six minutes remaining in the third to break up an 18-2 Michigan run which spanned more than nine minutes.
Azzi Fudd’s experience paid dividends in late-game moments. She finished with a game-high 31 points on 9-of-20 shooting. She crossed the 30-point mark for just the fourth time in her career and made all four of her free throws in the final 30 seconds. Strong finished with a 16-point, 19-rebound double-double, playing a critical role on the inside.
Michigan’s Syla Swords nearly shot the Wolverines to an upset victory. Her barrage of late 3s —and eight in all on the night — kept Michigan in the contest. But she finished with 29 points in a losing effort, with a turnover with a second remaining, preventing the Wolverines from getting off one last quality look.