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UConn women’s basketball vs. Seton Hall: time, how to watch, broadcasters, preview

alexa philippou, hartford courant
·4 min read

The UConn women’s basketball team breathed a collective sign of relief after finally getting through its first game of the season, Saturday’s 79-23 win over UMass Lowell, following a two-week delay due to COVID-19.

Now comes the fun part.

The Huskies kick off a stretch of four Big East games in eight days, starting Tuesday when they take on Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J., in their first road trip of the year.

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

Site: Walsh Gymnasium

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Series: UConn leads, 51-10

Last meeting: No. 2 UConn 92, Seton Hall 78 in South Orange, N.J., Dec. 5, 2019

TV: SNY (Meghan Culmo and Allen Bestwick)

Fans outside of SNY’s market can watch the game on the Fox Sports App or https://www.foxsports.com/. Some fans said they were only able to access Saturday’s game via fox.com/sports or the Fox Sports Now app, though, so try that if needed.

Radio: UConn IMG Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN

Seton Hall probable starters, sixth man:

Lauren Park-Lane, G, 5-6, So.; Mya Jackson, G, 5-7, So.; Danielle Robinson, G/F, 5-11, Jr.; Alexia Allesch, F, 6-1, R-Jr.; Mya Bembry, F, 6-1, So.; Victoria Keenan, G, 5-7, So.

Note: This is based off Seton Hall’s last game. The Pirates were without two starters — Hartford’s own Desiree Elmore and Femi Funeus, as well as top reserve Jasmine Smith — Sunday against Albany.

The school said Elmore, who’s averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds so far this season, is day-to-day with an injury.

UConn probable starters, sixth man:

Christyn Williams, G, 5-11, Jr.; Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, 6-5, Jr.; Anna Makurat, G, 6-2, So.; Evina Westbrook, G, 6-0, R-Jr.; Paige Bueckers, G, 5-11, Fr.; Aubrey Griffin, F, 6-1, So.

The matchup

UConn’s offense: The Huskies put together a relatively balanced attack in their first game, with seven players scoring at least eight points. Moreover, they assisted on 63 percent of their field goals (22 of 35), with Bueckers, Westbrook and Makurat each dishing out at least four assists. Perimeter shooting (3-for-13) was a weak spot, though.

UConn’s defense: UConn held UMass Lowell to a dismal 14.3 shooting percentage and caused havoc with its press and ball pressure. Though he has some strong individual defenders to tinker with, Auriemma says he still isn’t quite sure how good this team can be defensively.

Seton Hall’s offense: The Pirates got off to a hot start, cracking 100 points in their season opener against St. Peter’s and hitting 96 against Wagner. They couldn’t replicate that productivity short three crucial pieces against Albany, falling, 66-71. Jackson, a Big East weekly honor roll recipient this week, paces the Pirates with 19.0 points per game and dropped 21 off the bench against UConn last season.

Seton Hall’s defense: Seton Hall has allowed an average of 61 points across three games this season, with opponents shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 22.0 percent on 3s.

UConn keys: More consistency from the returners; for the freshmen, keep continuing to do the things they’re good at.

Players to watch: Nelson-Ododa and Williams had relatively underwhelming outings on Saturday. How do they respond in Game 2, against a much better opponent?

About Seton Hall’s coach: Entering his eighth season at the helm, Anthony Bozzella has guided the Pirates to a 133-92 record in South Orange. Seton Hall’s 19 wins last season (11 in the Big Eat) were the program’s best mark since 2015-16. Prior to the abrupt end of the 2019-20 season, the Pirates nearly upset DePaul in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.

Bozzella missed Seton Hall’s first two games of the season due to his battle with COVID-19.

Seton Hall’s mascot: Pirate.

Famous alumni: Former ESPN anchor Bob Ley, Seton Hall coach Anthony Bozzella, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com.