Storrs — It was April 2, 2021 the last time Aubrey Griffin stepped on the court for the UConn women's basketball team. She played six minutes in an NCAA Final Four loss to Arizona in San Antonio.

An ankle injury followed by a back injury that required surgery made 2021-22 a lost season for the redshirt junior forward. While she was able to maintain three years of eligibility, she could only watch as the Huskies fell to South Carolina in the national championship game in Minneapolis.

With two players (Paige Bueckers and Ice Brady) already out for the year with knee injuries, two others (Dorka Juhász and Caroline Ducharme) coming back from offseason surgery, and three newcomers (graduate transfer Lou Lopez Sénéchal and freshmen Ayanna Patterson and Inês Bettencourt), Griffin's experience should be in demand.

The 6-foot-1 Griffin will be in action Sunday when No. 6 UConn entertains Division II Kutztown in an exhibition game at the XL Center.

"She feels better all of the time," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "She just adds a different dimension to our team that we don't have. It's funny. Ayanna does all the same things Aubrey does. Those two, when they're together, they cause a lot of problems on the floor. So we're trying to get Aubrey to be more confidence in her abilities."

The 20 months between outings seemed more like 20 years.

An ankle injury kept her out the first few games last season. Then when she appeared close to returning, the back issues flared up. She had her season-ending surgery on Jan. 10 to repair a disc in her lower back.

Now, she's back.

"It's been a long journey, but I'm starting to feel like myself again," Griffin said. "My role is to bring energy, play defense, offensive and defensive rebound, and attack the rim. As I've started practicing more I've become more comfortable. It's easier for me to trust that I was OK."

Griffin averaged 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds her freshman year that was shortened when the pandemic canceled the NCAA tournament. She had 25 points and 12 rebounds in a win at her parents' alma mater Seton Hall and was named to the American Athletic Conference all-tournament team. A season later she averaged 6.4 points and 5.4 rebounds with her key contribution coming in the Elite Eight win over Baylor. She drew a pair of offensive fouls during a 19-0 second-half run that erased a 10-point deficit and totaled 25 minutes on the floor as the Huskies won by two to advance to the Final Four against Arizona four days later.

She did take part in UConn's closed scrimmage against UMass two weeks ago.

"It felt really good," Griffin said. "The last time I played in a game I couldn't remember the feeling. It was great to be out there and play with my team. It's hard to describe but I was happy and grateful to be out there.

"There's still stuff I have to work on but that's me. I think I'll be the same player, just keep doing what I'm good at."

Griffin sees her role as adding energy and being a defensive stopper while hitting the boards hard.

She was more of a slasher in her first two years here but the Huskies hope she can be more of a threat on the perimeter like she was during her days at Ossining High.

"Whenever she wants, she can get to the basket," UConn guard Azzi Fudd said. "But she'll catch it and she'll hesitate for a second sometimes to shoot I'm like, 'Aubrey, just shoot it!' She's definitely become a lot more comfortable."

The Huskies' matchup with Kutztown is their only exhibition as they move towards the regular-season opener against Northeastern Thursday at Gampel Pavilion.

Ducharme may be a game-time decision as she is dealing with some neck stiffness.

"There's a lot we're going to see other than what offense are we running, what defense we're in," Auriemma said. "That's secondary right now."