UConn overwhelms Vermont women’s basketball in NCAA Tournament
The University of Connecticut Huskies pressed, dominated the paint, ran in transition and shared the ball.
Too much UConn, too much of the time.
The second-seeded Huskies led wire to wire with an efficient and punishing effort, cruising past No. 15 Vermont for a 95-52 triumph in Saturday’s opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.
Power forward Aaliyah Edwards was nearly flawless, shooting 13 of 15 from the floor in a 28-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist, 4-steal outing, while frontcourt teammate Dorka Juhász produced a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to go with six assists, three steals and three blocks to power the Huskies (30-5).
UConn shot 61.9% from the floor (39 of 63), owned the rebounding edge (43-19) and held the Catamounts to 33.3% field-goal shooting.
“Obviously, it didn’t end the way we want, but that’s a really talented UConn team,” Vermont coach Alisa Kresge said. ”But there’s some really good things that we can take from this game and stuff that we’re going to build off of as we continue to build our program.“
Caroline Ducharme (12 points, five boards) and Nika Mühl (nine points, 10 assists) also contributed to UConn’s unselfish offense. The host Huskies assisted on 27 of their 39 made field goals.
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Former Champlain Valley Union High School star Catherine Gilwee paced the Catamounts with 14 points and five assist. Her four 3-pointers were a game high. Emma Utterback (13 points, four assists) and Maria Myklebust (13 points) also reached double figures for the America East champions.
The Huskies built a 27-12 lead after the first quarter and rolled into halftime with a 53-20 advantage.
Vermont (25-7), playing in its first NCAA Tournament since 2010, saw it 17-game winning streak halted. It was the program’s longest streak in three decades.
Check back later tonight for an updated story.
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