New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Huskies add point guard Bettencourt to roster
The UConn women’s basketball team added an additional player for the 2022-23 season.
The program announced the addition of point guard Ines Bettencourt to its roster Friday.
Bettencourt, 5-foot-9, is from Sao Miguel, Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. She becomes the program’s first player from Portugal and will wear No. 21.
Bettencourt joins Ice Brady and Ayanna Patterson as part of the Huskies’ 2022 freshman class.
“Ines is a true point guard. She loves to distribute the ball and can make shots,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in the release. “She’s used to playing in the European style of ball movement, ball screens, lots of 2-man game, 3-man game. I think she’s a tough kid and a great competitor. I’m thrilled that we were able to find her.”
With UConn’s star point guard Paige Bueckers out for the season with an ACL injury, Bettencourt will provide depth at the position behind junior Nika Muhl.
“Being a UConn Husky is a dream come true,” Bettencourt said. “I’m extremely excited to start this adventure and give my all in blue and white.”
Bettencourt represented
Portugal at the 2022 FIBA U18 women’s European championship, Division B. She was Portugal’s leading scorer with 14.4 points per game along with 4.6 steals, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Bettencourt was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five.
She was recently a member of Clube Uniao Sportiva in Sao Miguel.
Bettencourt becomes the fifth international player on the Huskies’ current roster, joining Aaliyah Edwards (Canada), Muhl (Croatia), Lou Lopez Senechal (France) and Dorka Juhasz (Hungary).