Brown and Mompremier continue to evolve as offensive threa

Two weeks ago, after UConns first exhibition game, coach Geno Auriemma made an observation that seems particularly relevant now.I looked out there one time, he said then, and thought, Were really small relative to where weve been and some of the teams were going to be playing. The Huskies won their season opener Monday at Florida State, but it went down to the wire, 78-76. And the Seminoles really didnt throw that much size at the Huskies. The only player over 6 feet, 1 inch who got significant playing time was 6-3 center Chatrice White, who had six points and one rebound in 19 minutes.It will be a different story Thursday as No. 2 Baylor visits No. 3 Connecticut (ESPN3, 7:30 p.m. ET) at Gampel Pavilion. The Lady Bears have two sophomores, 6-7 Kalani Brown and 6-4 Beatrice Mompremier, who might pose quite a challenge for the Huskies.Especially considering what UConn doesnt have anymore: three of the best, most reliable defenders you could ask for in post players Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck and guard Moriah Jefferson. All were exceptional in UConns system and in making big plays individually.But these are the kinds of tests that Auriemma anticipated would be important learning experiences for the Huskies. For that matter, its the same for Baylor, which has a lot of talent at varying experience levels.Senior Nina Davis, at 5-11, has been Baylors rock for her career, but her role was altered last season a bit by the teams increased size. That could be the case even more this season, in particular as Brown and Mompremier continue to evolve as offensive threats. Brown averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game off the bench last season, while Mompremier was at 7.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG.Its early, but Brown has been sensational in her first two games this season, with 24 points and nine rebounds against Houston Baptist, followed by 25 and 19 against No. 9 UCLA. If the first performance was tempered a bit coming against a thoroughly overmatched opponent, that couldnt be said for the second.The Huskies have a history, of course, of providing wake-up calls to players riding high and looking unstoppable. No doubt, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey will prepare her team for that. However, its unrealistic to think UConn can be quite the crushing force defensively right now that it has been the past few years.That doesnt mean the Huskies arent going to be very good on that end of the court, improving as the season goes along. Because you know they will. But with their 76-game winning streak on the line against a team that has threats at every spot on the floor -- we need to mention Baylor starting guards Alexis Jones, Alexis Prince and Kristy Wallace, too -- the Huskies will have a lot to contend with defensively.Conversely, can they make it difficult for Baylors defense? Yes, especially considering we might be seeing 6-1 sophomore forward Napheesa Collier blossoming before our eyes as the new go-to scorer and leader. Again, not trying to put too much on one game, but the way she played against Florida State -- 28 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four blocks in 39 minutes -- was quite a statement.UConn has a 3-2 series advantage over Baylor, with all five games having been played from 2010 to 2014. The last time they faced off, Jan. 13, 2014, the Huskies ended the Lady Bears 69-game home winning streak.This is the first time Baylor has played in Storrs, Connecticut, with the Lady Bears previous road games against the Huskies coming in Hartford. Will another streak, this one UConns, end on Thursday? Or will the Huskies show theyre evolving even faster than expected without their superstar trio of Stewart-Tuck-Jefferson?Its a great game to have so early in the season for both teams and for womens basketball fans in general. Cheap Reggie Sanders Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Cheap Johnny Bench Jersey . 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Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. A social media protest against Reebok, the UFCs exclusive apparel provider, has evidently cost former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum a commentating job.Earlier this week, Werdum, 39, posted an Instagram image in which a Nike logo was added onto a photo of him in a Reebok uniform.Attached to the image, Werdum wrote in Portuguese that he is not generic.In another Instagram post on Friday, Werdum stated he had been terminated from his role as a UFC broadcaster in Latin America, due to his criticism of Reebok.I just want to make everything clear about my post of Nike and Reebok, Werdum wrote. I did this to protest about the sponsorship. Before Reebok got into UFC, all the fighters used to do a lot of money with other sponsors, including me, and now they paying me only $5,000 per fight.I didnt get penalized because I have no contract with [Reebok], but they cut me out of the TV broadcast.ddddddddddddUFC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Werdum (21-6-1) is scheduled to face Cain Velasquez at UFC 207 on Dec. 30. Under the terms of the UFC-Reebok deal, which was signed in 2014, Werdum is eligible to receive $10,000 per fight. As a champion, he made $40,000 in a May fight against Stipe Miocic.Many UFC athletes have complained about the Reebok deal, which effectively banned outside sponsors from entering the Octagon. Fighters are still allowed to sign independent sponsors, but are heavily restricted on where and when they can wear different clothing companies. ' ' '