Women's basketball notebook: Pinkney gets hero's welcome in return to Connecticut

Dec. 23—HARTFORD — Little went right for Shailyn Pinkney and Seton Hall against the UConn women's basketball team at the XL Center Wednesday.

So there was dejection as the freshman guard made her way back to the court after the 98-73 loss. But then she looked up at Section 119 and suddenly had a winning smile. Moments later her former teammates at East Hartford High made their way down to greet her.

"Thank you so much for coming," Pinkney said.

There was no place they would rather be as more than two dozen players from the Hornets' varsity, junior varsity, and freshman programs were in the crowd of 9,125. Another 800 students from East Hartford Middle School were in attendance as part of Field Trip Day.

"It was great watching her go up and down the court," East Hartford coach Jon Myette said. "She looks comfortable and has transitioned well. To see her playing the game that she loves was pretty awesome."

Pinkney got cheers from the crowd, led by the East Hartford groups, when she was introduced in the Pirates' starting lineup and a quick roar — especially from those in Section 119 — went up when she nailed a 3-pointer with 7:27 left to go in the half.

But even for them it wasn't quite their day.

"I was recording the whole time and then I forgot to record," East Hartford senior Victoria Silva-Soto said with a smile. "But we all were going crazy.

"It was just really exciting to see her out there in this big arena. It was exciting to watch her reach her goals."

Pinkney played 19 minutes and shot 1-for-4 for the three points along with two rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Her minus-5 in her time on the floor was a best for Seton Hall starters.

While she's at home for the holidays, she'll spend time with and talk to her former teammates as they bid to continue their reign as CCC and Class LL tournament champions that started a season ago led by Pinkney.

"A lot of the girls grew up with her and she represents East Hartford," Myette said. "Just sharing space with her is what matters. They're friends, that's what comes first."

But she's also a role model for them, especially the younger players, and has a message that she can share.

"Shai's an example that anything is possible with hard work, heart, and passion," Silva-Soto said. "That's how she's here."

More Mühl

Nika Mühl made some personal and UConn history — again — Wednesday.

The junior point guard recorded her first career double-double with 16 points and 12 assists against Seton Hall. The double-figure assist performance was the sixth of her career (all this season) and that breaks the program record in that category. Jill Brumbaugh had five double-figure assist games while Sue Bird, Crystal Damgerfield, Laura Lishness, and Diana Taurasi had four each.

"I don't think you can underestimate Nika's value," UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey said. "You saw it when she was out (against Maryland while in concussion protocol). It was just one game, but it felt longer because it was practice, as well.

"Nika is our energy. She has a passion for playing. She is the first one excited about what her teammates do. She loves playing, and she is the kind of player that you want to play with. She is very unselfish. On and off the court, everything with her is about the team. When you have someone like that who has the ball in her hands and really controls the tempo, when you don't have her it is really evident."

Mühl leads the nation in assists at 10.1 per game. No UConn player has averaged 6.0 assists in a season.

The Zagreb, Croatia native also made a career-best four 3-pointers Wednesday and her 4-for-5 effort put her at 40.0 percent from behind the arc for the year.

"She can hit some threes when she is open," UConn guard Lou Lopez Sénéchal said. "She's a very unselfish player who is running the floor and trying to find people. She is really great at that. She is the energy of the team, and off the court she always has great advice and is very focused. She's a great leader for the team."

Fudd update

Christmas Day will mark three weeks since Azzi Fudd injured her right knee at Notre Dame. UConn announced on Dec. 6 that the sophomore guard would be out 3-6 weeks.

Dailey was asked if her return could be closer to three weeks than it is to six.

"That's not in my pay grade," Dailey said. "I do know her rehab is going well and she looks good in the things she is doing. But where she stands is up to our medical staff and Azzi. I really don't know. I don't think we would even talk about it until she is ready and whatever happens after Christmas. It's not something we're going to rush. It's something depending on what the doctors say and where Azzi is."

Fudd averaged 24.0 points in the Huskies' 6-0 start but was injured when she took a hit to the knee from teammate Aaliyah Edwards when Edwards fell after being pushed and fouled by Notre Dame's KK Bransford with 2:09 left in the first quarter. Fudd returned for a short time in the second quarter but came out for good with 3:09 left in the first half and finished with no points. She tore the ACL and MCL in the right knee during USA Basketball's 2019 U-18 3x3 tournament in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Husky bites

Edwards had her third straight 20-point game Wednesday when she finished with 23 against Seton Hall. She's scored in the 20s five times this season after doing it twice in her first two seasons. ... The Pirates' Kae Satterfield was a teammate of UConn's Dorka Juhász in 2019-20 when the Buckeyes played the Huskies. Satterfield transferred to Xavier and faced UConn the previous two seasons. She had nine points Wednesday in becoming the first player in the Geno Auriemma era to play against UConn for three different schools. ... The Huskies' 36-game winning streak against Seton Hall is the longest against any opponent in program history and the series stands at 56-10. The second-longest winning streak is 32 against South Florida (32-0).

For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.