Women's college basketball Freshmen Tracker: UConn shows faith in Sarah Strong, Dani Carnegie keeps rolling

Women's college basketball ushered in the holidays with some impressive freshmen performances.

For this edition of the women's college basketball Freshmen Tracker, we highlight some of the most consistent first-year players in the country. We also touch on how a late-game scenario shows the trust Geno Auriemma has in his freshman star.

Here's the latest Freshmen Tracker: 

Sarah Strong, UConn

Huskies coach Geno Auriemma showed his prized freshman the ultimate sign of faith this weekend when he trusted Sarah Strong in the waning minutes of this weekend's biggest game.

In the final seconds of No. 4 UConn's loss to No. 7 USC, Auriemma trusted Strong to take the potential game-tying 3-pointer with the Trojans leading 72-69. Strong missed the shot, but she was fouled by USC star JuJu Watkins in the process, forcing her to step to the line to attempt three free throws.

The five-star freshman hit the first free throw to make the score 72-70. Unfortunately, she missed the second free throw, prompting her to miss the third free shot on purpose in hopes of regaining possession of the ball. She wound up with the ball again and heaved a deep 3, but it missed by a wide margin and USC won the game. 

On one hand, this miss could be a devastating blow to the young player's self-esteem. But from another perspective, the sequence of events show the amount of faith Auriemma has in the 18-year-old.

And if Saturday's performance is a glimpse into UConn's future, then Auriemma is right to put his money on Strong. She scored a team-high 22 points, had 11 rebounds and dished out five assists. She also handled business on the defensive end, generating four steals and a block. A pretty impressive performance against the No. 7 team in the nation.

Dani Carnegie, Georgia Tech

Dani Carnegie is one of the most consistent freshmen in the country. 

For the year, Carnegie is averaging 14.5 points (43% field goal), 5.3 rebounds and two assists a night. Her shotmaking also helped No. 17 Georgia Tech get a win over a top-25 opponent this weekend. 

The standout freshman scored 20 points in 22 minutes in the Yellow Jackets' 72-61 win over No. 23 Nebraska. This game-high in scoring was supplemented by the eight rebounds she grabbed.

Saturday's win ended Nebraska's five-game winning streak and gave the undefeated Yellow Jackets their third win over a ranked opponent. Now, Georgia Tech continues onto ACC play with a game against Pittsburgh.

Sira Thienou, Ole Miss

Sira Thienou is hitting her stride just in time for conference play.

On the season, the guard is putting up 12.2 points (54% field goal) a night. She's also grabbing 5.5 rebounds and handing out two assists. However, her game has started to ramp up over the last few weeks.

In the past three games, Thienou is averaging more than 17 points a contest. This includes a 23-point outing against South Alabama in which Thienou shot over 85% from the floor. She's now becoming a steady option on a No. 25-ranked Ole Miss team that'll start conference play after the New Year.