Starting Five: How Sarah Strong moved past missed free throw vs. USC

Sarah Strong has been famously stoic during her first year at UConn. The freshman doesn’t get particularly high when things go well and doesn’t let much get her down either.

There’s one exception, though. When the Huskies squared off with USC at the XL Center earlier this season, Strong got fouled on a 3-pointer with five seconds left and had an opportunity to tie the game from the line, only to miss the second free throw. UConn ultimately fell 72-70.

After the loss, Strong couldn’t keep the facade up.

“Sarah is someone that you usually can't tell when she's upset, when she's frustrated,” Azzi Fudd said. “You could see after that game just how upset she was and how she took that personally.”

Strong didn’t try to hide from that moment, though. On the flight back home to Christmas, she re-watched the game multiple times. It stuck with her through the holiday break.

“It definitely lingered with me,” Strong admitted.

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