UConn opens March Madness Run with 95-52 losses in Vermont
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Aaliyah Edwards scored a career-high 28 points, Dorka Juhasz added a double-double and No. 2 UConn defeated 15th seeded Vermont 95-52 on Saturday, giving the Huskies a 29th straight win in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Juhasz scored 15 points and hit 10 rebounds, the Hungary’s 13th double-double this season for the sixth-ranked Huskies.
Caroline Ducharme added 12 points and helped Connecticut (30-5) to its 26th 30-win season Geno Auriemma‘s 38 years as a coach.
Catherine Gilwee scored 14 points while Emma Uterbach And Maria Myklebust each had 13 for Vermont (25-7), which had ended its 17-game winning streak.
UConn will play either No. 7 Baylor or No. 10 Alabama on Monday.
This was the fourth straight game the Huskies had 10 available players after spending much of the season with just seven.
Azzi Fudd (five points), who missed 22 games, including the last 14 of the regular season with knee injuries, made her first start since Dec. 4 and scored the first basket with a short jump off the lane. That started with a 7-0 run and the Huskies were never behind.
Edwards had 12 of their points in the first 10 minutes as the Huskies led 27-12 after a quarter.
UConn took their first 20-point lead with 32-12 and a fast break layup Aubrey Griffin made it 48-18. The Huskies shot 67% in the first 20 minutes (62% for the game) and it was 53-20 at halftime.
The Huskies extended this up to 46 in the second half.
UConns Lou Lopez Senechal (nine points) left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury. She jogged off the court but did not return to the game.
BIG PICTURE
Vermont: The Catamounts last lost to UMBC on Jan. 1. Vermont’s defense had held opponents to an average of 52.8 points per game. UConn had 53 at halftime.
UConn: This is UConn’s 34th straight appearance in the NCAA tournament where they are now an almost incomprehensible 131-22. The Huskies improve to 22-4 as the No. 2 seeds.
NEXT
Vermont: With a young team, coach Alisa Kresge hopes for more success next season, although she is aware that some of her players could get opportunities at bigger schools with the portal.
“Of course, if you make it to the big dance, you’re in the spotlight,” she said. “At the end of the day we will be true to ourselves and we will take care of the people and give them everything. If they decide they need something else, I will be their biggest supporter.”
UConn: The Huskies have not lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament since 1992 and will be looking to make their 29th appearance in the Sweet 16.
