STORRS, Conn (AP) — Sunday’s Big East game between No. 5 UConn and DePaul at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, has been postponed because the Huskies don’t have enough healthy players available to match, the conference said Friday .
The conference requires schools to qualify seven scholarship players for each game, and injuries have left the Huskies with only six active players, the school said.
UConn was also expected to be without head coach Geno Auriemma, who announced Thursday that he is taking some time off to recover from an illness.
Junior Aaliyah Edwards and freshman Ayanna Patterson were injured in UConn’s victory over Xavier on Thursday. They join sophomore Caroline Ducharme, sophomore Azzi Fudd, junior Paige Bueckers and freshman Ice Brady on the inactive list.
Edwards suffered what was variously described as a right foot or ankle injury in the first half of the Huskies 73-37 win, diving over some courtside seats for a loose ball. It was not immediately clear when or how Patterson was injured.
The school said Friday evening it would not release any further details.
“At UConn, the health and well-being of our student-athletes will always be our top priority,” David Benedict, the school’s director of athletics, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, our women’s basketball program has been impacted by an unprecedented number of injuries this season. While it is unfortunate that we have to postpone Sunday’s game, it is the right decision to protect the safety of our student-athletes. We will work with the Big East and DePaul on options to reschedule the game.”
Bueckers and Brady are out this season with knee injuries.
Fudd, the Huskies’ leading scorer, is expected to return soon from a knee injury that has kept her on the bench since she was injured in a collision with Edwards during a December 4 loss to Notre Dame. She has participated in warm-ups during the last three games as part of her rehabilitation.
Guard Caroline Ducharme has missed two games with a concussion following an injury in training.
The Huskies currently available to play are guards Nika Mühl, Lou Lopez Sénéchal, Inês Bettencourt and forwards Aubrey Griffin, Dorka Juhász and Amari DeBerry.
Auriemma has missed four games this season due to illness and it is not clear when he will return.
“It has been an extremely difficult month for me and I felt bad and exhausted,” Auriemma said in a statement on Thursday. “I thought I was ready to return, but I need a little more time. I’m going to take a step back to focus on my health and will return when I feel ready.”
Despite the injuries, the Huskies have won six in a row.
The school says those with tickets for Sunday’s game can use them when the game is rescheduled.
UConn is next scheduled to play St. John’s on Wednesday, while DePaul will host Villanova that night.
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