UConn women’s basketball kicked off the NCAA Tournament by detonating the 16-seed UTSA Roadrunners, 90-52. The Huskies advance to the second round for the 31st consecutive season with a wire-to-wire victory.
Sarah Strong led the way with 18 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists while Blanca Quiñonez put up 15 points, five boards and three steals. Ashlynn Shade reached 1,000 career points with 14 on the day while Kayleigh Heckel chipped in with 11 points and a game-high five assists.
As a team, UConn forced 27 turnovers which turned into 35 points the other way. The Huskies also won the rebound battle 43-28 and scored 19 second-chance points off 16 offensive boards. They assisted on 20 of 35 baskets.
After a 12-day layoff, UConn struggled to find a rhythm on offense. The Huskies made just four of their first 13 shots, started 0-7 from three and didn’t hit a jumper until 2:16 remained in the opening quarter. At one point, UConn was 8-9 layups but 3-18 on everything else.
Despite that, the Huskies’ defense showed up from the opening tip. UTSA went over three minutes without a point out of the gate and managed just three baskets in the quarter while coughing the ball up nine times.
UConn closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run in the final minute and then settled in during the second period. The Huskies outscored the visitors 29-8 in the frame, using a 12-0 at one point before closing on a 7-0 burst. They went into the locker room with a healthy 48-14 lead.
Out of the break, UConn scored eight straight points before taking its foot off the gas. The teams traded baskets for most of the third period and UTSA eventually put up 16 points. In the final quarter, the visitors outscored the Huskies 22-15.
Ultimately though, it didn’t matter as UConn came out with a 90-52 victory. With the win, the Huskies improve to 35-0 on the season.
Next, UConn will take on the winner of 8-seed Iowa State and 9-seed Syracuse on Monday. Tip-time and television information will be announced later.
