Here are the headlines from a Veteran’s Day full of Connecticut basketball:
— The top-ranked UConn women crushed No. 3 Stanford 76-57 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs Monday night. The Huskies poured it on and dominated, even though Breanna Stewart played only 17 minutes and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis played just 22 minutes. Both finished with nine points. Bria Hartley led the way with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
— Point guard Shabazz Napier became the first player in UConn history to record more than one triple double, leading the Huskies to an 80-62 victory over Yale in Hartford. Napier hit 5 of 7 shots and finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 37 minutes of stellar play. Oh yeah, he was whistled for only one foul in a game that featured 47 whistles and took almost two hours and 15 minutes to play.
So, all is right in Husky Nation, right?
Not exactly.
At the end of the day, the dominant thought was the condition of Mosqueda-Lewis, who suffered a right arm injury with 18:08 left in the second half. The preseason All-American was grabbing a defensive rebound when she became tangled with Chiney Ogwumike of the Cardinal. Mosqueda-Lewis fell to the floor with her full weight landing on her right hand and then her elbow.
Mosqueda-Lewis immediately began screaming in pain and writhing on the court. Gampel Pavilion fell into a hush as the UConn junior screamed, “Help me” She was escorted to the training room by UConn medical staff. She did not return to the game but she was not taken to a hospital. UConn officials did not specify the nature of the injury, other than to say she was being treated and would be evaluated again on Tuesday.
“They’ll see how she responds,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “They don’t really know anything now. She landed with her palm on the floor and then her elbow hit the floor. There’s two separate things there that they’re trying to figure out.”
It was painful for everyone to watch.
“Kaleena’s not one to be injured, so I’m sure it’s all new to her,” Auriemma said. “From my standpoint, we’re playing with our fingers crossed the entire season. So, anything we see that looks like that, obviously is kind of disheartening a bit.”
Auriemma, a Hall Fame coach with years of experience, was asked if he can quickly judge the seriousness of an injury by looking at a player’s face.
“No, it’s hard to tell,” he said. “Some people just scream and yell like they just got run over by a car. Then it turns out it’s nothing. Mosty, they are panicking and they’re scared. That’s why they cry and scream and yell.
“Then, we were running a 3-on-2 drill here when Sue Bird was here and she goes, ‘Ooh, I felt something.’ But she said, ‘I’m good.’ Turns out she just tore her ACL. It’s confusing because everyone reacts differently to what happens.”
The UConn players did a good job of moving on and completing the task at hand in the final 18 minutes. That could be a more difficult assignment if Mosqueda-Lewis misses times.
Saniya Chong, who hit two huge three-pointers at the start of the game and finished with six points said, “We were just shocked. We don’t know what’s going on. We’re just waiting.”
Said Kiah Stokes (10 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks): “You always hope for the best, but you never know. The coaches told us she was getting taken care of, go out and finish the game. I think we did a pretty good job of that. We’re praying for her and we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Bria Hartley: “It was kind of scary, just the way she reacted. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like that. Me and Stef (Dolson) were kind of shaking and just scared for her. Hopefully she’ll be OK. She’s tough.”
That’s all for tonight. It was a long day and I’ve got an early wake-up call in the morning. Weather permitting, I will head to Amherst in the morning to see LSU play at UMass. Two interesting teams there. The game begins at 11 a.m. If the roads are too icy, I’ll just watch on TV.
Come back for a closer look at the way Napier has started his senior season, and some thoughts on Niels Giffey, who hit five 3-pointers in the win over Yale.
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