UConn found itself staring down something close to a worst-case scenario on Thursday at Ohio State. In the second quarter, Sarah Strong, KK Arnold and Blanca Quiñonez all sat on the bench in foul trouble. Jovana Popovic, for the first time in her young career, was a non-factor.

The Huskies were left to navigate without their four best players while on the road against the No. 17 team in the country.

Exactly one week earlier, UConn failed its first test of the season at Michigan. In the game’s most critical moments, the Huskies folded under the pressure. Nobody — short of Popovic — stepped up to make a play. They couldn’t get a stop. Every single momentum swing belonged to the Wolverines.

The opposite proved true against the Buckeyes. Despite being down all their stars, the Huskies made do with what they had. It wasn’t easy. It certainly wasn’t pretty. But they battled and found a way.

When the dust settled, they took a three point lead into halftime — which was all they needed. From there, Strong returned with a vengeance and powered UConn to an 87-55 victory. But that might not have been possible if not for the work of the Huskies’ role players.