"Kids are immature today, man": Geno Auriemma bursts the South Carolina bubble around UConn after "nonsense" first half vs Seton Hall

Geno Auriemma and the fifth-ranked UConn Huskies stretched their unbeaten run to four games on Wednesday night, trouncing the Seton Hall Pirates 91-49 at Walsh Gymnasium. The UConn coach wasn't pleased, however, with how his team performed following their impressive 29-point win against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday.

The Huskies looked out of sorts to start the game against the Pirates, with Seton Hall building a 5-0 lead after the opening 64 seconds. The Pirates kept the game close in the first half, trailing 26-22 with less than six minutes remaining in the second quarter. UConn responded by finishing the first half on a 15-4 run to build a 41-26 lead at the break.

That late surge wasn't enough to appease Geno Auriemma, who blasted his players in an interview with SNY reporter Chelsea Sherrod during the break.

"No momentum carried over into this game. No momentum at all," Auriemma said. "I said after the South Carolina game that we would get outrebounded tonight and I think we are getting outrebounded."

"Kids are immature today, man. We go down there and get a great win and they think that win is going to make these guys roll over. They played harder than us. They are more aggressive than us. This is nonsense. We got a lot of work to do in the second half. I'll tell you that," Auriemma added.

The UConn players heeded Geno Auriemma's message as the Huskies pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Pirates 50-23 during that period to record a 42-point win.

Paige Bueckers steps up for Geno Auriemma in win over Seton Hall

Paige Bueckers stepped up for Geno Auriemma in the win over the Seton Hall Pirates, scoring 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting. She was perfect from the free-throw line, knocking down all six of her attempts at the charity stripe.

Bueckers nearly recorded her second consecutive double-double, finishing the contest with nine rebounds and five assists.

Paige Bueckers (#5) of the UConn Huskies plays against the St. John's Red Storm during the first half of their NCAA women's basketball game at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on February 12, 2025 in Storrs, Connecticut. Photo: Getty

Bueckers did most of her damage in the first half, scoring 13 points during that period. She suffered an injury scare, though, in the closing stages of the second quarter, grabbing her right knee after landing awkwardly following a shot attempt. Fortunately for UConn, Bueckers avoided a serious injury and was back on the floor to start the third quarter.

Bueckers got some offensive help from fellow starters Kaitlyn Chen and Sarah Strong, who combined for 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting. Chen had 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting while Strong finished the game with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Aubrey Griffin and Ashlynn Shade produced some much-needed offense off the bench, scoring 15 and 14 points, respectively.