Huskies Cruise Through NCAA First Round
Box Score STORRS, CT (March 16) - After shaking off the rust from a 10-day
layoff, the No. 1 seeded University of Connecticut women's basketball
team scored the game's first 10 points en route to a 86-37 win over
16th-seeded St. Francis (PA) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
at Gampel Pavilion. Senior forward Asjha Jones (Piscataway, NJ) got
the Huskies rolling by netting eight of her game-high 18 points during the
opening run. St. Francis missed its first nine shots from the floor and
didn't get on the scoreboard until a free throw from Karen Hewitt made the score
10-1 with 14:31 to play. The Huskies blew the game open midway through the
first half with a 25-5 run that was capped by a three-pointer from freshman
forward Ashley Battle (Pittsburgh, PA) to make it 43-13 with 4:33 to play in the
stanza. Connecticut led by as many as 36 in the first before heading into
the intermission with a 53-18 lead. UConn kept up its intensity in the second
half and never led by less than 35. Senior Swin Cash (McKeesport, PA)
scored seven of her 17 points after the break and grabbed 11 rebounds for her
14th double-double of the season. Battle finished with 12 points and was
one rebound shy of her second double-double of the season. Senior Sue Bird
(Syosset, NY) and sophomore Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA) each finished with seven
points apiece. Bird also had four assists while Taurasi dished out seven
assists and had three steals. Tonjee Ward led the way for St. Francis with
15 points. The Huskies held a 46-25 advantage on the glass and outscored the
Red Flash 48-8 in the paint. Connecticut shot 56 percent from the field
for the game while St. Francis finished at 26 percent. UConn improved its
record to 34-0 overall while St. Francis ended the season with a 19-12 mark.
The Huskies will face ninth-seeded Iowa in the second round on Monday at 9 p.m.
The Hawkeyes advanced with a 69-62 win over eighth-seeded Virginia earlier in
the day. |
