When Paige Bueckers went down with a left knee injury late in UConn’s 73-54 win over Notre Dame, it understandably overshadowed everything that happened in the first 39:22. Until that point, the main story of the game was the emergence of Caroline Ducharme and a strong performance from Olivia Nelson-Ododa.
Ducharme’s UConn career had gotten off to a rocky start. Despite earning the praises of Geno Auriemma and her teammates throughout the preseason, she looked lost in her first four games. During the season opener against Arkansas, Ducharme came in during the first half but committed a foul and turnover in four minutes and watched the rest from the bench.