Spring Break
Women still rolling, despite injury
Mike Northup
Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: Sports
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Doty, who re-tore her left ACL last Saturday in the UConn women's basketball team's game against Syracuse, had successful surgery to repair the ligament Thursday at the UConn Medical Center in Farmington. She will sit out the remainder of the season as she recovers from the injury.
Doty averaged 8.6 points and 23.9 minutes per game, while starting every game for the Huskies this year, and her absence leaves a big hole in UConn's already thin rotation.
"Caroline was a great player so that's like a big loss to us, but we could just work at our strengths and build up our weaknesses," said sophomore guard Lorin Dixon, who got the start in place of Doty in Monday's win.
In particular, coach Geno Auriemma has singled out guards Kalana Greene and Tiffany Hayes, saying both will have to continue to increase their roles in Doty's absence.
Greene, a redshirt junior who has started all 18 games for UConn this year, is averaging 7.7 points per game in 21.3 minutes per game after coming off an ACL tear of her own that cut her 2007-2008 season short. In the win over UNC, Greene had 15 points in 33 minutes, both season highs.
Auriemma said that the amount of minutes that Greene plays from here on out will be determined by her confidence level during the upcoming games.
"She brings that midrange game that, you know, is really important," Auriemma said. "And when she's concentrating on that, attacking the basket, that pull-up jump shot of hers, it makes defenses have to prepare not just to come running out hard at the 3-pointers, and not pack it in on the block. They've gotta now defend something different."
Hayes, a freshman who has come off the bench all 18 games, is averaging 6.4 points and 20.2 minutes per game. Hayes struggled in the UNC game and Auriemma pulled her early, choosing to bench her for most of the game. She finished with no points in only five minutes.
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