STORRS, Conn. – Sophomore
Carolyn Appleby (Greensburg, Pa. /Greensburg Central Catholic) scored a team-high 17 points as the IUP women's basketball team dropped a 111-39 decision in exhibition play to defending NCAA Division I national champion Connecticut on Tuesday evening at Gampel Pavilion.
Appleby added four rebounds and four assists while shooting six-of-15 from the floor and three-for-10 from beyond the arc. Junior
Megan Smith (Blain, Pa./West Perry) added seven points, four rebounds and one assist.
Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Catholic) also added seven points while adding two rebounds and two assists.
In the first quarter the Huskies jumped out to a 13-2 run after a layup from Napheesa Collier with 7:33 remaining. The Crimson Hawks responded as Smith hit a jumper and added a three-pointer to cut the lead to 19-7 midway through the quarter. IUP pulled to within 26-14 on a jumper from
Alexiss Griggs (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) with 3:00 left in the quarter before the Huskies took a 33-19 lead at the end of the quarter.
UConn opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run before a
Maura D'Anna (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) jumper at the 7:49-mark cut the lead Husky lead to 41-21. The Huskies extended the lead to 47-21 on a pair of free throws from Kyla Irwin before Appleby connected on a three-pointer midway through the quarter to pull to within 47-24. From there UConn answered with a 21-0 run to take a 68-24 halftime lead.
The Huskies started the third quarter on a 14-0 run before an Appleby three-pointer at the 6:41-mark.
Lauren Wolosik (Pittsburgh, Pa. /North Catholic) connected from beyond the arc midway through the quarter to make the score 85-30. Appleby completed a traditional three-point play after to make it 87-33 with just over three minutes to play in the third. UConn then outscored IUP 19-6 in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
The Huskies shot at a 61.4 percent clip (43-for-70) from the floor while the Crimson Hawks shot 33.3 percent (15-for-45). UConn outrebounded IUP by a 42-22 margin. Katie Lou Samuelson scored a game-high 24 points for UConn to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Teammate Gabby Williams added 22 points and nine rebounds.
The Crimson Hawks conclude exhibition play on Sunday when they travel to Pittsburgh for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_WBB.