UConn women’s basketball forward Dorka Juhász suffers season-ending left wrist fracture in NCAA Elite Eight win over NC State
The UConn women’s basketball team lost an important bench player Monday, as forward Dorka Juhász suffered a left wrist injury in the Huskies’ Bridgeport Region final against NC State.
Juhász, fighting for an offensive rebound in the second quarter, hit the floor hard and crashed into the base of the basket as the Wolfpack’s Camille Hobby was called for the foul. Juhász rolled over on her back and curled up, her sobbing audible as the crowd grew quiet. UConn coaches and medical staff rushed out to helped her up. Her left wrist bent awkwardly during the collision, and she was holding it as she walked off to a standing ovation.
“I mean it’s always hard to see one of my teammates go down, but we just tried to regroup and the biggest thing we could do for her right now is win the game.” UConn senior Christyn Williams told ESPN’s Holly Rowe as UConn went to the locker room at halftime.
After the game, coach Geno Auriemma said Juhász tried to brace herself with both hands, and he left wrist was fractured and dislocated.
“It’s one of those injuries that, you’ve seen it before on TV and it isn’t pretty,” Auriemma said. “The players had a chance to see it close up. They were pretty shook up about it.”
Juhász, from Pecs, Hungary, is a graduate student transfer from Ohio State. She has two years of eligibility remaining and is thought to be leaning toward returning to UConn. She averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds this season and had two points and two rebounds in 3 1/2 minutes before her injury Monday night. UConn outscored NC State by five while she was in the game, and led 25-18 when she departed with 6:19 left in the half.
She returned to the bench in the third quarter with her wrist taped and arm in a sling. After UConn secured the 91-87 win in double overtime, teams flocked to Juhász to hug her.
“Coach got us together and told us, ‘the biggest thing you can do for her is win the game and win it for her,’” Williams said.
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com.
