In most instances, a 50-point win would make any team’s head coach go over the moon, and rightly so. But every head coach is not an 8-time Naismith Coach of the Year, Geno Auriemma, who demands precision while on the court. The reality set in following UConn’s 50-point win against Creighton. It was a well-knit 94-44 win from the Huskies, with Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, and Allie Ziebell, tearing apart the Bluejays’ defense.

Yet despite this, Auriemma wasn’t overwhelmed by his team’s first-half performance and didn’t hesitate to raise warning bells for Fudd and co., with just one month remaining for March Madness.

Speaking at the post-game presser, Auriemma highlighted that his team wasn’t advancing to the rim or staying near it after making shots, leading to fewer offensive rebounds and second-chance points in the first half. For the UConn head coach, it was clear: make the shots, but also don’t forget to chase them if you miss. And being one of the frontline offensive players, a lot of it falls on the likes of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.

“For instance, in the first half, when I went in the locker room, I said that we didn’t even attempt to make attempt to make an offensive rebound,” Auriemma said. “We shoot the ball, and everybody jogs back on defense. I said, I don’t understand, you don’t need any talent to be an offensive rebounder. All you need is when the ball leaves somebody’s hands, you’re automatically putting yourself in a position to chase it down.”

Auriemma’s halftime break did work a bit, with his side trying to make efforts to score on second chances. One notable instance was the Serah Williams’ offensive rebound of a missed 24-foot three-pointer from Ziebell, which the former converted into two points in the third quarter.

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“In the second half, we did a pretty decent job, keeping the ball and getting some offensive rebounds,” he said. “I just think, we make so many shots that the ones that don’t go in, I want to get better at getting some of those back.”

Despite the second-half exploits, the Huskies only managed three offensive rebounds in the entire game. On the contrary, the Bluejays managed 11 in this metric. Strong, Fudd, and Ziebell, who accounted for 50% of UConn’s points, didn’t have a single rebound near the opposition court in the game. Therefore, Geno Auriemma’s concern regarding his team’s offensive rebounding is justified.

The Huskies have just registered 284 offensive rebounds in the entire season so far. Strong and Fudd, the decisive pair that does most of the heavy lifting in scoring for the Huskies, also trail behind in just 32 and 21 offensive rebounds, respectively.

It quietly denotes that the team transitions quickly to defense following an offensive play, giving the opposition fewer chances for a fast break. Still, it can also lead to several offensive chances near the opposition rim going begging. At the same time, this hasn’t cost them much in the regular season, given their undefeated streak.

However, UConn’s hurdle isn’t confined to the offensive end of the court. The Huskies are averaging an impressive 25.9 defensive rebounds per game, ranking 128th in the nation. If Geno Auriemma’s team can at least give itself a bit of flourish on offensive boards, the team will look even more complete, but for now, UConn had a lot of positives to take from the Creighton game.

Geno Auriemma Pinpoints His Team’s Impressive Defensive and Offensive Stretch Against Creighton

While the UConn Huskies struggled on the offensive boards against the Bluejays, their precise shooting and strong defense made up for it. Sarah Strong’s return after missing the Butler game was the icing on the cake. She returned straight to business with 16 points while Fudd complemented her perfectly with 19 points and 4 defensive boards. Allie Ziebell continued her strong momentum from the bench, scoring 20 points in just 25 minutes.

The Huskies worked hard on defense, allowing Creighton just 44 points, a team that had averaged around 69.4 points this season. “I though the first half, we did a pretty decent job defensively. I don’t know we put pressure on them in their transition game,” Auriemma said. “Our defense was really good the whole third quarter and the fourth quarter for the most part. The second half we were really good offensively and defensively.”

The Huskies defended strongly on both the center as well as the perimeters. Auriemma’s team allowed the Bluejays just 23% shots from open play and 26% from the three-point line. On the contrary, UConn scored 54% on three pointers, with Strong, Fudd, Ashlynn Shade, and Ziebell contributing immensely.

All in all, it was quite a dominating performance from the UConn Huskies, barring the offensive rebounds problem. With this win, the Huskies now stand at 26-0 and 15-0 in the season. They are quite comfortable with their March Madness ceiling for now and can improve their record further in the upcoming games against Marquette and Villanova, where they also aim to address their struggles on the offensive boards.