Spring Break
Lost In Jersey
Freshmen Struggle With Hostile Crowd
Brittany Perotti
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports
Unfortunately for the Huskies, it was not enough.
At first, it seemed that nerves may have gotten the best of Dixon, playing against Rutgers for the first time in her collegiate career, no less on the road. It also appeared that way for Moore, who missed all of her shots in the first half.
Yet, Stringer was still impressed.
"That speaks to Maya Moore," she said, glancing over the stat sheet. "That's incredible. We were all over her."
Dixon and Moore stepped onto a court in front of an at best hostile crowd, red shirts swarming around the RAC. The cheers coming from the stands were not for great plays, but for mental mistakes in the opening minutes, including a traveling call and a turnover by Dixon and missed shots by Moore.
On paper, Dixon's night was far from stellar, going 0-for-4 in field goals with two personal fouls and an assist. Yet she earned her way into the last minutes of the game against the Scarlet Knights when it mattered most, a possible indication of Auriemma's growing faith in his freshman.
The two still have a long way to go, but the season is not over for the Huskies, who still have a month before the Big East tournament. The major difference is that instead of a perfect season heading into the next game, they now have lost one game of 22.
"This is not an ordinary UConn team," Stringer said. "They're exceptional in everything they do."
Brittany Perotti can be contacted
at Brittany.Perotti@UConn.edu.
At first, it seemed that nerves may have gotten the best of Dixon, playing against Rutgers for the first time in her collegiate career, no less on the road. It also appeared that way for Moore, who missed all of her shots in the first half.
Yet, Stringer was still impressed.
"That speaks to Maya Moore," she said, glancing over the stat sheet. "That's incredible. We were all over her."
Dixon and Moore stepped onto a court in front of an at best hostile crowd, red shirts swarming around the RAC. The cheers coming from the stands were not for great plays, but for mental mistakes in the opening minutes, including a traveling call and a turnover by Dixon and missed shots by Moore.
On paper, Dixon's night was far from stellar, going 0-for-4 in field goals with two personal fouls and an assist. Yet she earned her way into the last minutes of the game against the Scarlet Knights when it mattered most, a possible indication of Auriemma's growing faith in his freshman.
The two still have a long way to go, but the season is not over for the Huskies, who still have a month before the Big East tournament. The major difference is that instead of a perfect season heading into the next game, they now have lost one game of 22.
"This is not an ordinary UConn team," Stringer said. "They're exceptional in everything they do."
Brittany Perotti can be contacted
at Brittany.Perotti@UConn.edu.
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