Still without Azzi Fudd and Aubrey Griffin, UConn will continue to rely on post play of Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász vs. Marquette

The UConn women’s basketball team will once again be short-handed when it faces Marquette (9-4, 2-2 Big East) on Saturday afternoon, but the team is getting closer to being back at full strength — sans Paige Bueckers and Ice Brady, who are out with season-ending injuries.

The No. 8 Huskies (10-2, 3-0 Big East) only had seven players available in their 72-47 road win over No. 21 Creighton on Wednesday, missing Azzi Fudd (right knee), Aubrey Griffin (COVID-19) and Amari DeBerry (flight issues). That number will increase to eight for the last game of 2022 against the Golden Eagles with DeBerry be back in action. Fudd and Griffin remain out, but both are nearing a return.

“They know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere,” head coach Geno Auriemma said after practice Friday. “They know we’re gonna get some of those kids back. They know we’re not getting Paige and Ice back, but we were pretty good when we had everybody but those two. And I think they understand that those days will be back, provided we don’t trade one for another.”

Fudd was initially ruled out three to six weeks after suffering a right knee injury in the first quarter of a Dec. 4 loss at Notre Dame. The three-week mark passed earlier this week and the Huskies’ leading scorer had a doctor’s appointment on Thursday where she was cleared to resume basketball activities.

“Azzi is going to do a couple of workouts [Friday and Saturday],” Auriemma said. “We’ll see how she responds to that and then we’ll go from there, we’ll see. So it’s getting close. … Hopefully it won’t be long.”

Griffin tested positive for COVID-19 while at home during the Christmas break. She rejoined the team and was wearing a mask at practice on Friday, but when she can return on the court is uncertain. Although she rejoined the team and was at practice with a mask on Friday she isn’t ready to play just yet.

“That’s going to be just time sensitive, whenever that time is that she can get back in,” Auriemma said. “But she says she feels great.”

In the meantime, the Huskies will continue to rely on the post play of Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász, who have both made major strides from a year ago. The duo combined for 45 points and 38 rebounds to carry UConn to its victory over Creighton.

“I feel like they’ve really turned into amazing upperclassmen,” Nika Mühl said. “Obviously Dorka was an upperclassman last year, but I feel like her maturity and her responsibility and what she has to bring every practice, every game — both of them — has grown so much. They’ve turned into pros, honestly. They’ve turned into real pros.”

Edwards has been a consistent force for the Huskies as they’ve dealt with all of the injury struggles. She’s averaging 17.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists, has scored at least 20 points in each of the last four games, and became the first UConn player to record 20 rebounds in a game since 2010 on Wednesday.

Juhász broke her left thumb in the Huskies’ second game of the season, against Texas, and sat out the following seven. Though she still has a splint on, Juhász said she’s very close to getting it off. Since returning against Florida State on Dec. 18, she’s averaged 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The stretch was highlighted by career highs with 22 points and 18 rebounds and also four assists against the Bluejays.

“I feel like this year I’m kind of more free to just how who the real Dorka is and kind of just have that confidence to be dominating in the games, especially on the boards and in the post,” Juhász sad. “Knowing that this is my last year for sure, I just want to give my all. I felt like last year I wasn’t able to kind of show my talent and all my versatility consistently every single game, so I think for me that was a huge motivation for this year.”

Edwards and Juhász have thrived on the court together since Juhász’ return. They have combined for 255 points, 71 rebounds and 20 assists over the last three games, responsible for 46.7% of UConn’s scoring (255 points total), 47.6% of its rebounding (149 total) and 28.9% of the assists (69 total). The Huskies will look to the pair again this Saturday as they continue to navigate a shorthanded roster.

“[Aaliyah’s] been playing amazing and she’s been having a season that is just outstanding,” Juhász said. “Her confidence, I think I can feed off of it, just being in the post and kind of taking over in the lane. I think it’s just kind of complementing each other. I think we are very different but also very similar in a lot of things, so I think that high-low game can be a very successful key for us moving forward.”

What else to know

Site: Gampel Pavilion

Time: 2 p.m.

Series: UConn, 15-0

Last meeting: No. 7 UConn 71, Marquette 51 on March 6, 2022 in Big East tournament

TV: SNY; Allen Bestwick, Meghan Culmo and Maria Marino

Streaming: SNY app

Radio: UConn Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN