Ayanna Patterson looking forward to first official game for No. 6 UConn women’s basketball. How to watch season opener vs. Northeastern

Stepping onto the court in a UConn women’s basketball uniform for the first time was a surreal experience for Ayanna Patterson. And the freshman forward impressed in the process.

Patterson finished with a double-double in the Huskies’ exhibition game against Kutztown Sunday, earning loud cheers from the XL Center crowd as she made hustle plays, diving on loose balls and soaring in for rebounds. Now Patterson is looking forward to her first official game as a Husky when UConn takes on Northeastern in its season opener 7 p.m. Thursday at Gampel Pavilion.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Patterson said before practice Wednesday. “I mean, I’m excited to get out there and play for the first time in Gampel and see what the fans are all about and just to experience at all.”

Patterson played 21 minutes in the exhibition game, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds (6 offensive, 4 defensive), one block and one steal. Fellow forward Aaliyah Edwards said she wasn’t at all surprised by Patterson’s performance because she does the same thing every day in practice.

“She’s got a motor all day long, for sure,” Edwards said. “I think that the best thing about Yanna is she’s willing to do anything for the team and you can see that in her energy”

UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Patterson has made a lot of progress so far, noting she comes into each practice better than than the one before that. He believes it’s unusual for a freshman to have the type of motor she’s displayed so far.

“We’ve had a couple, and the fact that we’ve had a couple tells you how rare it is,” Auriemma said. “Jennifer (Rizzotti’s) motor was like that, Maya Moore’s motor was like that, Renee Montgomery’s motor was like that, Kelly Faris’ motor was like that. Just not many that come in as freshmen and they can go.

“She still gets her winded self and she still is working through some things, but I don’t know that anybody’s effort and anybody’s intensity level — I mean you see her, I mean when was the last time we had a big kid make the kind of effort plays that she made? It’s just really inspiring to watch for the other players, for sure. And for the fans too, they fell in love with her right away.”

Auriemma said Patterson came into the program not worried about how many minutes she was going to play or how many points she was going to score, but rather just focused on competing hard every minute.

“When kids come here, they always have a choice,” Auriemma said. “People always say, ‘How do you determine who starts, who doesn’t start, who plays 20 minutes, who plays 15, who play 25 minutes?’ And kids decide that. Some kids come here and by their actions and the way they carry themselves they’re saying, ‘Coach I really don’t want to play.’ That’s basically what they’re saying, like they don’t really think that’s what they’re saying, but that’s what they’re saying.

“Some kids come like her, like Yanna, and they go, ‘Coach, I’m playing. I’m playing and you’re gonna have to play me.’ And I use that example all the time, you have to be the kind of kid where I have to play you, I have no choice. Like you, don’t like you, that’s got nothing to do with it, I have to play you because look at what you do.”

Patterson did so by establishing a niche for herself early on as a willing rebounder with high intensity and effort.

“Even from the start, I knew that’s what I wanted to go out there and do,” Patterson said. “Just with a team that’s full of everyone that’s able to score the basketball, I just wanted to solidify myself as a rebounder, just any way I can help the team. And I saw I can help the team being the rebounder out there, so.”

Patterson’s athleticism and aggressiveness, which saw her go viral with in-game dunks in high school, adds another dimension to the Huskies’ group of post players. With the freshman clearly set on improving her game every chance she gets, Edwards is excited to see where Patterson goes from here. It all starts with her official debut as a Husky on Thursday.

“She’s picking up a lot of things,” Edwards said. “I think us posts, we’re focusing on adding a lot to our game and a lot of different finishing moves so that we can be very versatile down low. And I think that you just saw one element of what Yanna can bring to the game. And I’m hoping that throughout the season this year she can show you guys more of what she can bring everyday.”

Injury update

The Huskies will have just nine players available for the game with Northeastern.

In addition to the season-ending injuries to Paige Bueckers and Ice Brady, Geno Auriemma said Wednesday that sophomore guard Caroline Ducharme has been ruled out due to neck stiffness. But he’s optimistic that could change before UConn’s first big test of the year against No. 3 Texas on Monday.

“Tomorrow she’s not playing, but it’s better,” Auriemma said. “It’s getting better every day, so keep fingers crossed that maybe we’ll be set to go by the weekend.”

Here’s what else you need to know about the matchup:

Site: Gampel Pavilion

Time: 7 p.m.

Series: UConn, 4-0

Last meeting: No. 1 UConn 105, Northeastern 35 at Gampel, Nov. 14, 2009

TV: SNY; Allen Bestwick (pxp), Meghan Culmo (analyst), Maria Marino (sideline)

Streaming: SNY app

Radio: UConn Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN