UConn embodies 'survive and advance' mantra in Sweet 16 win over Duke

UConn had plenty of ways to describe its 53-45 victory over Duke in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday. “Ugly” got thrown around plenty. Paige Bueckers said it didn’t feel like a win. Nika Mühl called it a “battle of defense.”

Aaliyah Edwards put it best, though.

“We survived, and we advance,” she said.

At this time of year, that’s all that matters. Regardless of how it got there, UConn came out on top and will live to see at least one more game.

“In March, no game is pretty,” Mühl said. “All games are like this — scrappy.”

The Huskies have plenty to critique about their performance. They shot 40 percent from the field, made just three 3-pointers, turned the ball over 13 times and saw a 20-point lead in the second half evaporate to as little as five in the final minute.

Yet in the game’s biggest moments, UConn did what it needed to do to win.

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