UConn Women, U.S. National Team, To Play This Month

STORRS, CT — The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team is scheduled to host USA Basketball’s women’s national team, a group is headlined by former UConn standouts Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, in an exhibition on Jan. 27 in the XL Center.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

"I think it’s a great opportunity for the fans to see some of the best players in the world," UConn head coach and former USA Basketball head coach Geno Auriemma said. "It’s a great opportunity for our players to play against some of the best players in the world. It’s an opportunity for the U.S. National Team to go around the country and build some momentum going into the Olympics. I wish we would have done it when I was coaching. It’s a tremendous idea, and I’m sure our fans are going to turn out."

Team USA is preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics, for which it has already qualified. The U.S. squad is competing in five training segments that will take place between November 2019 and April 2020.

As part of its expanded women’s national team program, USA Basketball has secured commitments from eight elite athletes from the 2019-20 USA National Team pool to participate in the team’s five training segments that will take place between November 2019 and April 2020.

The team includes Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Sylvia Fowles, Chelsea Gray, Nneka Ogwumike and A’ja Wilson. Four remaining roster spots for the exhibition will come from the 2019-20 USA Basketball Women’s National Team pool.

The game against the Huskies will mark the third time a USA National Team has played a Connecticut squad. Previously the 1995-96 USA National Team downed UConn 83-47 behind 20 points from eventual Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, while Leslie scored a game-high 19 points in a 90-74 USA victory in November 2007.