Why Geno Auriemma says Lady Vols' Jordan Horston is among toughest players UConn will face

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma is more than familiar with the talent Tennessee Lady Vols guard Jordan Horston possesses. 

Well before the senior scored 27 points on 10-for-22 shooting in Thursday’s 84-67 home loss to the No. 4 Huskies, Auriemma wanted her to commit to his program as a high schooler in 2018. 

“We recruited Jordan and then (it) went all the way down to the end and she chose Tennessee,” Auriemma said. “Those kids (we don’t get) tend to have great games against us.

“When she’s healthy and on her game, she’s as tough a player to defend as anybody that we play against.”

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Along with her scoring prowess against UConn (19-2), she accumulated seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks and one steal.

“She’s a terrific player. She has a variety of ways to score points. I’m not surprised by anything she does,” Auriemma said. 

Horston scored 26 points and made 10 of 11 free throws against UConn last season. 

Due to illness, Horston did not travel with the Lady Vols (16-7) for their last game, a 68-65 win against Missouri on Sunday. Thursday was the first time this season Horston didn’t appear in the starting lineup in a game she was available in.

As a reserve, Horston scored 27 of Tennessee's 38 bench points. She is now averaging 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds on the season.