Bridgeport Region Sweet Sixteen Game Breakdowns
#1 Connecticut vs. #4 UCLA
Connecticut had another easy victory. In the second round it came against Syracuse. Kia Nurse scored 29 points and Gabbi Williams and Katie Lou Samuelson added 23 each on their way to a 94-64 victory. The Huskies will start to be tested more seriously starting this round against UCLA. The Bruins jumped to a big lead against Texas A&M and never looked back.
Of course Connecticut has a ton of weapons. With Naphessa Collier joining Nurse, Williams and Samuelson, the Huskies have dominating scorers all over the floor. The Bruins have an offense that can keep up with the Huskies though. Jordin Canada and Kennedy Burke are the usual perimeter scorers, but Kari Korver had a superb game against Texas A&M. She knocked down seven of her ten three-point attempts and finished the game with a team high 21 points. If she can get open looks like that, Connecticut will have to guard that perimeter and leave more space for UCLA forward Monique Billings in the paint. With their impressive performance against Texas A&M, UCLA has a shot at beating Connecticut in Bridgeport, but everything will have to go just about perfectly for the Bruins if the Huskies are going to be sent home in the Sweet 16.
After a slow start, Maryland crushed West Virginia 83-56 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins were led by center Brionna Jones with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Destiny Slocum added 21 points and dished out eight assists. She is playing very well right now, but has some competition among freshman contributors in the contest against Oregon. The Ducks upset second seeded Duke 74-65 behind freshmen Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu. Hebard scored 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Ionescu scored 13 points with eight rebounds and six assists.
Oregon’s defense will have to have another great outing if they want to continue their impressive tournament run. The Ducks managed to hold Duke to 38.8 percent shooting from the floor and just 13.3 percent from beyond the arc. Slowing down Maryland will be extremely difficult. The Terrapins are the most explosive offense in the country. Slocum, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Kristen Confroy are all dangerous shooters and Hebard will have her hands full against Jones in the paint. The Ducks have the potential to keep up with Maryland in the scoring department, but it will come down to Oregon’s defense and how well they contain Jones in the paint and the shooters on the perimeter.
