Geno Auriemma gives optimistic injury update on Jana El-Alfy before lauding UConn freshman's starting line-up breakthrough

Geno Auriemma gave a promising injury update regarding the condition of Jana El-Alfy after she tweaked her back in UConn's game against Marquette on Wednesday. Auriemma shared the encouraging news in his press conference on Saturday ahead of the Huskies' weekend clash with the Villanova Wildcats.

El-Alfy picked up the injury while starting her second straight game for the Huskies. Auriemma shared that she suffered a back spasm during the Huskies' 77-45 victory over the Golden Eagles, but fortunately for UConn, the minor injury did not flare up again after that game.

"She’s fine," Auriemma said (Timestamp 6:33). "She went through every practice that we had so she appears to be all set to go. So with the back spasm that she had, it hasn’t carried over."

Auriemma praised El-Alfy's performance against Marquette, saying that this will help boost her confidence in the Huskies' upcoming games.

"As far as the last game, I thought there were a lot of really good things that came out of that game," Auriemma said. "These games are a big help. It makes it a little bit better when there’s a big kid that she has the opportunity to guard and match up against."

Auriemma hopes that El-Alfy avoids the silly mistakes that could end up affecting her minutes in the future. She saw her playing time increase while starting in the wins against Providence and Marquette.

"The thing that gets in the way sometimes of big kids is they commit silly fouls that put them on the bench before I even get a chance to take them out of the game," Auriemma said.

"So hopefully, with more playing time, there’ll be less of that and more of some of the good things that we saw the other night."

Jana El-Alfy delivers for Geno Auriemma in UConn's win over Marquette

Jana El-Alfy helped the No. 7 UConn Huskies start the new year with a victory, scoring 10 points against Marquette. It was the first time in nine games that El-Alfy reached double figures in scoring. The last time she achieved that feat was on Nov. 25, when she scored 12 points in the 71-52 win over Oregon State.

Jana El-Alfy (#8) of the UConn Huskies drives to the basket against Channing Warren (#23) of the Boston University Terriers during the second half of their NCAA game at the XL Center on November 7, 2024 in Hartford, Connecticut. Photo: Getty

El-Alfy also contributed in other departments, recording four rebounds, one assist and one block in 15 minutes of action. She shot 4-of-8 from the field and knocked down both of her free-throw attempts against the Golden Eagles. With the victory, Geno Auriemma and the Huskies improved their record to 12-2.