UCONN Women’s Basketball Defeats UTSA In The NCAA Tournament

Short N Sweet Ent

Photo Credit: Courtesy of uconnwbb Instagram Page

Storrs, Connecticut – It’s the beginning of March Madness, and for people all over the world, it’s the best time of the year.

On Saturday, March 21^st, thousands of fans poured into Gampel Pavilion to witness history in the making. The undefeated number 1 seed UConn Women’s Basketball team defeated the number 16 seed UTSA (90-52).

It was a slow start to the game, and UTSA had a great start guarding the basket. UConn couldn’t seem to find their rhythm, and their shots weren’t connecting. Serah Williams made the first 4 points and set the tone offensively. After the first time out, UConn came out with a full-court press and turned up the energy.

Coach Geno stated, “We didn’t shoot the ball great like we normally do, but I thought for the most part we did what we needed to. We got the cobwebs off, and we’ll get ready for Monday night”.

 Photo Credit: Courtesy of Marchmadnesswbb Instagram Page

Despite early foul trouble from UConn’s star players, Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold, the Huskies were up (48-14) at the half.

We don’t know what Coach Geno said to the team in the locker room, but when the team returned, they dominated on both sides of the court. In the 3^rd quarter, power players Sarah Strong and Blanca Quinonez took control under the basket, and UTSA didn’t have an answer.

For 40 minutes, each player who stepped on the court got the job done. Blanca Quinonez finished with 15 points, and 5 rebounds. Kayleigh Heckel had 11 points and 5 assists. Serah Williams had 9 points and 5 rebounds. Azzi Fudd contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of uconnwbb Instagram Page

Sarah Strong finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists, and 1 block. Her stellar performance tonight landed her as the first player in program history to record 600 points and 100 steals in a single season. In a post-game press conference about setting her defensive tone, Sarah stated, “That’s a big part of who we are, we focus on defense a lot and take pride in that. It’s just the standard here. We can’t underestimate any team, no matter what they ranked, no matter what they have on their team. Just going into every game focused on defense because it’s going to create opportunities for our offense”.

UConn is on the quest to secure the program’s 3^rd National Championship, and on Monday night, they return to Gampel Pavilion to play against Syracuse.     

Written By: Shauntay Hallett

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