UConn Coach Geno Auriemma, IJʿ President Jeff Herbst, UConn President Susan Herbst, and IJʿ Coach Nicci Hays Fort (left to right) pose for a photo at center court.
There was a good-natured sibling rivalry on display at center court before the game and some competitive flashes on the court during the women’s basketball game between the IJʿ Raiders and Connecticut Huskies on Wednesday night in Hartford, Conn.
IJʿ President Jeffrey Herbst and his sister, Susan Herbst, who is president of the University of Connecticut, exchanged handshakes, traded jerseys, and posed for pictures before the opening tip with Raiders head coach Nicci Hays Fort and the Huskies’ Geno Auriemma.
Nearly 150 IJʿ boosters gathered for a standing-room-only pre-game reception, enjoying the atmosphere at the XL Center in Hartford.
The Raiders players knew it would be a challenging night against the Huskies, the perennial powerhouse that is ranked No. 2 in the nation. UConn ended up winning 101-41.
Hays Fort told the that the game was a no-lose situation. “We made a lot of mini-goals within the game and we wanted to compete every possession,” she said of her game plan. “I don’t want to say we competed every possession, but we competed in a lot of them.” (Read the game report .)
IJʿ President Jeffrey Herbst and his sister, UConn President Susan Herbst, were interviewed by an SNY network reporter.