Edwards has big day in homecoming, freshmen stand out as No. 17 UConn women romp past Toronto team
By The Associated Press on December 20, 2023.
TORONTO (AP) – Aaliyah Edwards scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in her homecoming, leading No. 17 UConn to a 111-34 win over Toronto Metropolitan on Wednesday. Behind Edwards, who was two shy of her career high while shooting 9 of 13 from the field plus 8 of 9 at the foul line, the Huskies (10-3) were never challenged. Edwards, who is from nearby Kingston, Ontario, and played high school ball in Toronto, scored the first point of the game and had 10 points in the first quarter. Ashlynn Shade had 13 in the first 10 minutes when the Huskies bolted to a 39-5 lead. UConn was 16 of 21 and Toronto Metropolitan was 2 of 14 and had 11 turnovers. Freshman KK Arnold scored a season-high 21 points for UConn. Shade had 20, the freshman coming up two short of her career high. Qadence Samuels, another freshman, set a season best with 18. Paige Bueckers scored 11. Samuels had nine rebounds, Nika Muhl had eight assists and Arnold seven steals. Catrina Garvey scored 10 for the Bold. The NCAA sanctioned the game and will recognize the statistics, but the game will not be calculated in the Huskies’ NET rankings for postseason considerations. Pittsburgh was supposed to be the opponent but backed out of the game after a coaching change last spring. Toronto Metropolitan plays in Canada’s U Sports division and is coached by Carly Clark, who helps coach the national team. Edwards is a member of the Canadian national team. UConn finished at 62% from the field while the Bold were at 20% with 30 turnovers. Arnold was 10-of-12 shooting, Shade was 8 of 10 with four 3-pointers and Samuels 7 of 9 with three 3s. The Huskies play their second Big East game at home on Dec. 31 against Marquette. ___ Get alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball 14-13
