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Opportunity knocks for UConn freshman Caroline Ducharme

carl adamec, journal inquirer, manchester, conn.
·5 min read

Dec. 3—STORRS — The competitor in Caroline Ducharme was willing to do anything she could to help the UConn women's basketball team during its times of trouble with South Carolina in the Battle 4 Atlantis final.

The realist in the freshman guard understood that with only 19 minutes in four games of experience under her belt, she was not ready for everything that came with the matchup of the nation's top two teams.

"It was definitely hard watching," Ducharme said Wednesday. "But I learned a lot from watching. I know that I have to work on my defense to be able to play and contribute in that situation. I've had conversations and I know what I need to do to be ready."

With freshman Azzi Fudd out at least two weeks with a right foot injury and junior Aubrey Griffin still sidelined after suffering a setback in practice Thursday, Ducharme and sophomore Nika Muhl may play key roles when the second-ranked Huskies return to action tonight following an 11-day break.

UConn takes on Seton Hall in its Big East opener at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, New Jersey. Game time is 7 p.m.

"That's obviously a big gap that we all have to fill," Ducharme said. "It's going to come from everyone to hit the shots that Azzi usually does because she had such a big impact. Everyone has to bring a little something."

Fudd averaged 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in the Huskies' four games. She had 18 points on six 3-pointers in a win over South Florida Nov. 21 but played only 10 minutes and did not score the next day against the Gamecocks.

Muhl, who started 15 games as a freshman, has totaled only four points and three assists in her 31 minutes over four games. She saw the floor for only three minutes against both USF and South Carolina. Ducharme has four points and three rebounds in her 19 minutes, but all but one rebound came in her 12 minutes of play against Minnesota Nov. 20.

"They both can do it," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Nika showed us last year, and Caroline has shown us pretty much every day in practice. That hasn't transferred over yet to games for her, but it will."

Ducharme, a 6-foot-2 guard from Milton, Massachusetts, has earned strong reviews from her coaches and teammates for her work in practice since she arrived on campus in May for the six-week summer session.

After returning from The Bahamas, she's sat down with the coaching staff to talk about the things she needs to do to get on the floor.

There was one major point of emphasis.

"Defense is a hole in my game that I need to work on," Ducharme said. "You can't be on the floor if you can't defend. I need to take things into my own hands, lock in on that and focus."

That started in practice when the Huskies returned to campus.

"Practice has gone well," Ducharme said. "It's definitely been a different intensity since we got back from The Bahamas. Everyone is trying to do what they can, step it up, and bring one more thing to keep getting better each day and each practice."

Tonight's game starts a stretch of four games in four different venues over nine days for UConn (3-1).

After visiting Seton Hall, the Huskies host No. 24 Notre Dame Sunday at Gampel Pavilion before traveling to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech on Thursday for Olivia Nelson-Ododa's homecoming game. They finish the stretch before the start of fall semester final exams agsinst UCLA in the Never Forget Tribute Classic in Newark, New Jersey Dec. 11.

"I think we all do a good job of handling that," UConn All-American Paige Bueckers said. "We have study halls on the road and make sure we get our school work done. I think road games are just as fun as home games. We're all looking forward to that and playing in front of crowds where everyone is cheering against us.

"It's a big test for us these coming two weeks, and we're ready for it."

UConn has not lost back-to-back games since 1993 and has not lost to Seton Hall since 1994.

The Pirates played the Huskies tough in the first half of both meetings a season ago — leading by as many as 10 in the second quarter of the second game at Gampel Pavilion in February — before UConn took over after the break.

Seton Hall (3-2) has not played since an overtime win over Toledo a week ago in its second game in two days at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico. Its game scheduled for Wednesday night against Iona was cancelled due to the COVID-19 issues within the Iona program. The Pirates are led in scoring by sophomore guard Lauren Park-Lane and former UConn player and graduate student Andra Espinoza-Hunter.

The Huskies hope to show that they learned from and are better for their loss.

"We need to be fighters and better warriors," Bueckers said. "We're not going to back down to anybody. The more they test us in practice, the more we're going to be better in those situations. So I think we have learned a lot as a team and as individuals. We're looking forward to the next game."

For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.