STORRS, Conn. (AP) - UConn sat leading scorer Paige Bueckers on Saturday to rest her injured ankle and the Huskies still won by 31 points.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead No. 3 Connecticut to a 72-41 rout over an overmatched Georgetown team. Christyn Williams added 17 points, Aubrey Griffin scored 15 and Evina Westbrook added 13 points and nine assists.
The Huskies (10-0, 9-0 Big East), coming off a road win over rival Tennessee, were without both Bueckers, who rolled her right ankle in Thursday’s win over Tennessee and sophomore guard Anna Makurat, who is dealing with a nagging leg injury.
“It’s difficult to play when you’re missing someone who is such and integral part of you offense and I think they handled it pretty well,” Coach Geno Auriemma said.
Freshman Kelsey Ransom scored 13 points and Yasmin Ott had 10 for Georgetown (1-5, 1-5).
The Hoyas scored the game’s first points on a 3-pointer from the left corner by Ott, but the Huskies quickly took control.
Griffin had eight points and three rebounds in the first quarter and UConn led 21-9 after 10 minutes.
Connecticut outscored the Hoyas 18-2 in the second quarter. The Huskies held Georgetown without a point for the final 7 1/2 minutes of the first half and led 39-11 at the break.
Nelson-Ododa’s second 3-pointer of the game gave the Huskies a 51-21 lead in the third as the Huskies stretched their lead.
The 6-foot-5 junior now has three makes from behind the arc this season and in her college career.
“It’s definitely something I’ve been trying to improve on,” she said. “If I’m open like that, I’m just going to continue to shoot.”
UConn scored 29 points off of 22 Georgetown turnovers.
BIG PICTURE
Georgetown: The Hoyas have had 11 games either canceled or postponed due to COVID-related issues and have played the fewest contests of any Big East school.
UConn: Bueckers, who came in averaging 17 points and six rebounds and six assists a game, and Makurat were both in walking boots. Auriemma said Bueckers likely will be back for the Huskies game at No. 15 Arkansas on Thursday. He said Makurat has been dealing with her injury for a couple of weeks and it’s not clear when she can return.
FIRST START
With Bueckers out, Nikka Muhl got her first start for UConn. The freshman from Croatia played over 35 minutes, scoring six points.
HISTORY
This was the Huskies third game in five days. UConn improved to 46-6 against the Hoyas. Connecticut hasn’t lost to Georgetown in 28 years, since falling 64-62 on February 27, 1993.
NO QUIT
Both coaches said they liked what they saw from Georgetown, which outscored the Huskies 15-12 in the fourth quarter, despite knowing the game was out of reach.
“Those young guards and the post players just tried to keep fighting,” Georgetown coach James Howard said. “It’s the only thing you can do against such a powerhouse team, with so much size and skill sets, and we were pleased by that.”
UP NEXT
Georgetown: The Hoyas are scheduled to host St. John’s on Wednesday night.
UConn: The Huskies travel to No. 15 Arkansas on Thursday. That game was added to the schedule last week after both teams had contests against other opponents postponed.
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