Even when it was evident to Moriah Jefferson’s closest friends that her heart was set on heading to UConn, she was getting the unsolicited advice that she should stay home and suit for Baylor.The Lady Bears had done so well securing commitments from the DFW Elite program that Jefferson played for and with a couple of years to study under All-American point guard Odyssey Sims, Jefferson would be walking into a great situation.

However, Jefferson knew that the best decision for her was to leave home and become the first Texas native to play for the Huskies.

“You had that (banter) during the whole recruiting process, Baylor and UConn,” Jefferson said with a laugh.
“I grew up close to them and played for the same (AAU) team and played against each other during AAU season so I pretty much know everybody on the team.”

Jefferson had some midseason struggled and she played fewer than 10 minutes six times in a 12-game span but she headed into Monday night’s showdown with Baylor she had played at least 20 minutes in a career-high four straight games. She made the UConn coaches look good by scoring in double digits in back to back games for the first time.

“It has helped a lot especially getting some shots in and getting some (confidence),” said Jefferson, who is averaging 4.4 points per game and is second on the team with 37 steals.

Sims was among the Baylor players that Jefferson was able to get to know through her AAU experiences and she was excited about the chance to square off against the Lady Bears’ star point guard.

“Any time you can play against a great player like Odyssey Sims, it is a great challenge,” Jefferson said. “I played with her too, we went back and forth in practices so any time you get a challenge like that, it is a great opportunity.”