UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- With standout sophomore Blanca Quinonez out with injury, star freshman recruit Olivia Vukosa got a chance to play a lot of minutes in the UConn Huskies' 88-60 preseason-opening win over the Syracuse Orange on Monday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. 

Vukosa, rated as the No. 2 recruit in the country by ESPN, played her high school ball at Christ the King in New York City. She entered the game late in the first quarter and played most of the second as well, and then she saw solid minutes in the second half too.

In total, she scored 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting while also pulling down nine rebounds. She played 18 total minutes and was one of seven Huskies players in double-figures.

While the freshman didn't connect on either of her 3-point attempts, she showed a lot of good instinct in her first collegiate action. She moved well without the ball, scoring on an excellent backdoor cut in the second quarter. She also finished well on the low block, connecting for a nice jump hook at one point.

With Quinonez and Sarah Strong both serving as post players, it's unclear exactly how Vukosa will fit in when everyone is healthy, but regardless, her upside is clear.

After the game, head coach Geno Auriemma offered a blunt assessment of Vukosa, which he delivered with a wry smile.

"Yeah. I don't think Olivia's had one day of practice that was as good as today.

So maybe she's just one of those kids that, you know, I don't know what they're teaching in Catholic schools these days, but her practice habits are not great.

And yet, you know, here in the game, if you were looking at her, you wouldn't say she looks like a freshman out there, right?

Some of the nice things that she did, um, I think as her practice habits and as her intensity grows every day in practice, as I like to say about a lot of these kids, you know, this is probably the worst she's ever going to look, right? She's only going to get better from here. And I thought she looked pretty darn good tonight."

--Strong, the reigning National Player of the Year, scored 15 points to lead the Huskies in scoring. That said, she struggled from the floor, going 6-of-16 and 1-of-5 from 3-point range. Regardless of whether the shots went in or not, her movements on the floor were crisp, the shot selections were good, and her moves were decisive. After the game, Syracuse head coach Felicia Legette-Jack called her a potential No. 1 WNBA Draft pick when she's ready to leave school.

--KK Arnold's speed and ability to get into the lane really stood out. She also picked up full court defensively a ton, making life very difficult for Syracuse's guards.

--Freshman Jovana Popovic earned the start in place of Quinonez. The Serbia native also looked excellent in her first action, earning effusive praise from Auriemma. She also had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Huskies will be back in action next Monday night (7 p.m. ET) at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford. They'll take on Texas.

*The UConn men's team will also take on Syracuse, and that game will be Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun. The Huskies men's team got to the national title game a year ago.