Why UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma was not surprised by Aaliyah Edwards' MVP performance

PORTLAND, Ore. — While Nika Mühl and Azzi Fudd were in charge of guarding Iowa star and All-American Caitlin Clark, UConn women’s basketball forward Aaliyah Edwards had an equally difficult defensive assignment. In UConn’s 86-79 Phil Knight Legacy championship win over Iowa, Edwards was responsible for slowing down Iowa fifth-year center Monika Czinano. Not only did Edwards hold Czinano, Iowa’s second-leading scorer, to a season-low eight points, but the junior made an impact on both ends of the floor. Edwards finished with her third-straight double-double (fourth in the last five games) with 20 points and 13 rebounds and was named the Phil Knight Legacy tournament’s MVP. "Oh, it’s great. I’m blessed, I’m honored, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates for sure," Edwards said after the game. "It’s a team win. It’s been a long week, a great week being down here for Thanksgiving, we had fun. It’s just great to bring home a trophy." Czinano acts as the second act in Iowa’s 1-2 offensive punch after Clark. Last season, the 6-foot-3 Minnesota native led the nation in field goal percentage (67.9 %), and was an All-American honorable mention, and a semifinalist for the Lisa Leslie Award. This season, she was averaging 18.8 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds … that was until the Phil Knight Legacy championship. Edwards held Czinano to eight points on 3 of 7 shooting on Sunday. Not only was it a season-low for the Iowa star but it was her fewest number of points in a single game since March 6, 2021. Her field goal percentage (42%) was her worst since shooting 38.5% at Iowa State on Dec. 8, 2021. "Yeah, I definitely had a big assignment, matchup, with one of their key players who offensively produces a lot for them," Edwards said. "But I think my teammates and my coaches just trusted me to get it done and that’s what I came to do." And it wasn’t just on defense where Edwards shined. The junior was all over the floor, chasing rebounds and using her body to create shots in the lane. At 7:08 in the first quarter, Aubrey Griffin stole the ball and passed to Edwards, who ran it down for a fast-break layup to give UConn’s its first lead of the game. Edwards was the first player across both teams to reach double-digit scoring and contributed 10 points to UConn’s 20 in the first quarter. "It was great to see them (Edwards and Griffin) get hot in the beginning," Azzi Fudd said. "It definitely kept us alive because I mean, I wasn’t hitting shots, not many of us were hitting shots. So, having them kind of keep us in the game meant a lot." Edwards led all players with six rebounds and led UConn with 14 points at halftime. After she assisted Lou Lopez Sénéchal on a pull-up jumper to tie the game, for the third time within a minute-a-half span in the third quarter, Edwards’ own jumper at 1:53 in the third again put UConn on top 59-57. When she wasn’t the one making clutch jump shots, she was grabbing down boards and dishing out to teammates. Edwards’ six assists on Sunday were a career-high and her 13 rebounds led all players. "There's nothing that Aaliyah does that surprises me," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "There’s certain players on my team that I expect certain things, so for Aaliyah getting a double-double that should be the baseline for her. It should never be lower than that. … The rebounds that she got today, out of her area, that's a big sign. Some kids are really good at accumulating a rebound that comes to them. The great rebounders, they go find them outside their area and she had a couple of huge ones today. "And making those jump shots, those 15-16 footers. You know the way the world is today, if you're a post player and you can't shoot, you have a limited lifespan in college basketball, and then going forward. So that's something I keep harping on our post players you got to be able to make shots from the perimeter. And today she feels comfortable, she looked good taking them." Edwards averaged 18.5 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists across UConn’s two games in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament. Against Duke, the junior scored 17 points (second most on UConn) and brought down 11 rebounds along with three assists, one steal and two blocks. With Dorka Juhász likely out for the next two games, including UConn’s trip to No. 7 Notre Dame on Sunday, even more will be asked of Edwards as continues to step up. Auriemma knows she can handle it. "I hope that it just gets better and better and better for her," he said. "… It's a lot. But you're a junior man. You're a junior playing at UConn, you gotta be like a pro. Our juniors and seniors, they gotta play like pros. You know? Nobody gets a nod for showing up at UConn … So, you have to be a tremendous competitor and Aaliyah is right there." Maggie.Vanoni@hearstmediact.com @maggie_vanoni

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