UConn women overwhelm UTSA 90-52 as the Huskies roll in their March Madness opener

The title defense for the UConn women’s basketball team began like so many other NCAA tournament openers for the 12-time national champions. Sarah Strong had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals in three quarters of play as the Huskies, the top seed in the Fort Worth 1 region, rolled to a 90-52 win over No. 16 UTSA on Saturday for its 51st consecutive victory.

Blanca Quinonez, one of two international players in UConn’s main rotation, had 10 points in an 18-1 run for the top-ranked Huskies, who will face either Iowa State or Syracuse in Monday’s second round.

Quinonez had 15 points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots and Ashlynn Shade added 14 points as UConn (35-0) won its NCAA opener for the 32nd tournament in a row. UConn’s last first-round loss came to Louisville in 1993.

“I just tried to approach the game the same way we did the last couple of games,” Quinonez said. “Just tried to play hard, aggressive and just try to do the best for our

team, so just locked in like everybody.”

UConn was just 7 of 33 from 3-point range, but 19 steals turned into 35 points off turnovers. Kayleigh Heckel had three of those steals and finished with 11 points.

UConn also had 36 bench points in the win. The bench was called on early after guards Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold both picked up three fouls in the first half. The Huskies still led 48-14 at halftime.

“They made a really great impact when they came in the game,” Strong said. “They were ready when they were called on, so that’s really important for us. The special thing about our team is that anyone can come in and make a difference, make a big impact.”

Ereauna Hardaway was one of three UTSA players with 11 points. Cheyenne Rowe had 11 points and eight rebounds for USTA (18-17), The Roadrunners reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 after winning the American Conference tournament.