Sarah Strong led her team with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 25 productive minutes and No. 1 UConn sailed to an 85-51 win over South Florida on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.
Strong made 5 of 10 shots from the floor and was joined in double figures by Blanca Quinonez (13 points), Azzi Fudd (10) and Ashlynn Shade (10).
The Huskies (8-0) scored the first 10 points of the game and added a 12-0 run before the first quarter was through, a stretch punctuated by two Quinonez 3-pointers 47 seconds apart. By halftime, UConn was ahead 48-16 against a former rival from its brief stay in the American Conference.
UConn made 50.8% from the field, including 55.9% in the first half with 8-of-16 shooting from distance. The Huskies turned 20 South Florida turnovers into 26 points and poured in 44 points in the paint.
L’or Mputu led the Bulls (5-4) with 12 points and seven rebounds. Jelena Bulajic scored five of her seven points in the fourth quarter to help South Florida contain a margin that had ballooned to 38.
No. 16 Southern California 79, Saint Mary’s 33
Londynn Jones scored 17 points and grabbed four steals as the Trojans trounced the Gaels in Los Angeles.
Kara Dunn added 15 points and Jazzy Davidson scored 14 for Southern California (6-2), which earned its third win in a row. USC forced 29 turnovers from Saint Mary’s and turned them into 28 points.
Edie Clarke paced the Gaels (5-4) with eight points and six rebounds. Saint Mary’s hit just 26.8% of its field-goal attempts.
–Field Level Media
