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    UConn Women's Basketball
    Saturday, May 11, 2024

    Efficient UConn women are looking to stay on offensive roll

    UConn's Gabby Williams laughs with teammates Kia Nurse (11) and Napheesa Collier after taking an elbow to the face during a game against Tulane on Jan. 22. All three players have played major roles for the No. 1 Huskies, will go for their 95th straight win on Saturday against Houston at the XL Center in Hartford. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day)
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    With Katie Lou Samuelson in the midst of one of the most explosive offensive seasons in UConn women's basketball history, Gabby Williams flirting with a triple-double on a nightly basis and Kia Nurse providing leadership and consistent production on both ends of the court, Napheesa Collier has been allowed to toil in relative obscurity despite putting up some rather gaudy numbers of her own.

    As UConn hosts Houston at noon Saturday at the XL Center looking for a record 95th straight victory, Collier will look for her typically efficient offensive output after hitting eight field goals in five of UConn's last six games.

    In the last nine games, the sophomore forward hasn't attempted more than 13 shots or fewer than 10. She has scored in double figures in 16 straight games with four double-doubles coming during that stretch.

    If she scores in double figures again, she will have more points through the first 20 games of the season than former national player of the year Breanna Stewart ever managed. In fact the only players who would be ahead of her would be Maya Moore, Nykesha Sales, Samuelson, Kerry Bascom, Rebecca Lobo and Peggy Walsh.

    "I think in preseason I was working hard and felt like I could be pretty reliable," said Collier, who is averaging 19.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game while shooting 66.5 percent from the field. "I think consistency is key with whatever you are doing. You can be consistent rebounding the ball, you can be consistent with scoring. My confidence from last year has grown a lot so when you are more confident, you take more risks and take shots because you think the ball is going to go in."

    Collier isn't the only person who thinks all of her shots are going in. Junior forward Gabby Williams admits to hearing gasps of disbelief from the bench and the fans when Collier misses a shot in the lane.

    "I think her being one of those blue-collar players, she does everything, she gets every rebound, she gets steals, she works hard but she is not flashy so people (overlook) it," Williams said. "You see her numbers and she gets the quietest 20 points in the game. She is smart, she knows how to score and she is physical and she has a nice touch.

    "She has just skyrocketed this year this year and she has become one of my favorite people that I have ever played with. I think we just know each other really well. I know if I'm not going to get a rebound that she is going to get it. She is a reason why I get close to a triple-double because she is going to score every time I get her the ball."

    With Samuelson averaging 21.8 point points per game, the two sophomores have combined for 769 points in the first 19 games. If they score a combined 20 points, they will break the mark for most points by a pair of UConn teammates through the first 20 games of the season which was set by Maya Moore an Tiffany Hayes during the 2010-11 campaign.

    "They know they are going to play 'x' number of minutes, they know they are going to get 'x number of shots and everybody else on the team does as well," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Those two (Williams and Saniya Chong) don't see themselves as primary scorers so Saniya is not hesitant to give the ball up and neither is Gabby so it not like guys are fighting for shots."

    Collier has done most of her damage around the basket. Samuelson has been scoring at will, mostly on the perimeter.

    If Samuelson makes three 3-pointers, she will tie Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis's program record for fewest games needed to drain 150 3-pointers. Mosqueda-Lewis reached the plateau in her 57th career game and this will be the 57th game Samuelson has played at UConn.

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