Oftentimes when Ashlynn Shade is running down a basketball court, she’s smiling. That’s just the way she is, UConn senior Aaliyah Edwards said of her freshman teammate and fellow starter.

“I think Ash is just, that’s who she is as a person,” Edwards said of Shade. “I think off the court she’s very happy, she’s very bubbly. We just love that of her. I think what she brings to the court is just her opening up as a person and it’s always great when she makes that shot and she’s just smiling down the court on the way back.”

Is there anything particular that makes Shade laugh, though? A particular one-liner?

“I don’t even think it’s a joke,” Edwards said. “I think it’s just her spirit. It’s just coming out whenever she makes a bucket or a great play.”

The 13th-ranked UConn women’s basketball team takes on St. John’s at 2 p.m. Saturday at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York (SNY).

The Huskies are coming off an 85-41 victory over Providence on Wednesday in which they forced the Friars into 28 turnovers, scoring 33 points as a result. Shade led UConn in scoring with 17 points, adding four rebounds, four steals and three assists.

In the last six games, Shade, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard from Noblesville, Indiana, who learned to shoot from her grandfather and has an “aw-shucks” mentality befitting a true Hoosier, has averaged 17.5 points, leading the Huskies in scoring twice.

She’s started 10 games, replacing the injured star Azzi Fudd as the team’s resident 3-point ace — give her the ball! — and has earned Big East Conference Freshman of the Week three times.

In those six games, Shade, who starts along with fellow freshman guard KK Arnold, has 14 3-pointers, shooting 65-for-121 overall, 23-for-66 from long range (.348). UConn has a nine-game winning streak headed to St. John’s, led in scoring by redshort junior Paige Bueckers with 18.9 points per game and Edwards with 16.7 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Shade, who scored more than 2,000 points in high school, recruited before she ever played a high school game, is third with 11.0 points per game.

“It’s been huge,” UConn senior Nika Muhl said of Shade’s influence. “She’s not playing like a freshman this year. If you saw her on the court and didn’t know who’s a freshman, who’s what, you would never say she’s a freshman. That’s just a testament to her hard work.

“She has an amazing work ethic. She shows up every day. She wakes up early, she has a routine, she’s been doing that even before she came here. I’m really proud of her. I feel like everything that she’s doing and paying attention in practice and being super focused, is paying off for her really well.

“It just comes naturally to her.”

Shade has a new habit of pumping her fist after a 3-pointer. A tennis fan, Shade captured the fist pump from watching Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.

“I think it depends,” Shade said of the exclamation point. “When I’m too into the moment, I’m just like, ‘Got to get back on defense.’ But if I have solid time to be just like, ‘Yessss!’ then I’ll do it.

“I have a lot of confidence right now. Obviously my teammates helped me; they encouraged me to play how I know how to play. But coach (Geno Auriemma) always said that Diana Taurasi says the confidence has to come from yourself. You have to believe in yourself and that’s how you’re gonna be the most successful, so I really have to dig deep and really work hard to get that out of me.”

Shade said she got caught up at the start of the season putting pressure on herself — “I just forgot to have fun almost,” she said.

Now, Shade has her teammates rooting for her at every turn, including when Auriemma picks on her for what he calls a steals average of “one a month.” With Shade finishing with four steals against Providence, the other Huskies pointed out every one to the head coach.

“’I saw it, I saw it,’” he said of his response.

Said Auriemma: “It’s not easy when you’re first playing in college and you’re thrown into the starting lineup and go out there and ‘Make all the shots Azzi used to make.’ That’s asking a lot. Go out there and play by instinct and do what you’re good at.”

St. John’s (10-7, 4-1) is led by 5-foot-7 senior guard Unique Drake with 19.6 points per game.

v.fulkerson@theday.com