Nurse hits nine 3s in 94-64 UConn win
STORRS, Conn. — Kia Nurse scored 29 points and tied an NCAA tournament record with nine 3-point baskets Monday night to lead Connecticut to a 94-64 win over Syracuse in a second-round rematch of last year’s women’s national championship game.
Nurse hit 10 of her 13 shots, missing three attempts from behind the arc for the Huskies, who won their 109th straight game and 26th consecutive NCAA tournament game. That streak includes last April’s 82-51 win over the Orange that gave the Huskies their fourth consecutive title.
Gabby Williams and Katie Lou Samuelson each added 23 points and Napheesa Collier chipped in with 17 for UConn (34-0), which led by as many as 36 points.
The Huskies shot 62 percent from the floor, 52 percent from 3-point range, and had 30 assists on their 33 baskets.
Alexis Peterson had 25 points to lead Syracuse, which had boasted this week that it would bring the best guards in America into the rematch with UConn. Backcourt mate Brittney Sykes added 15 points and Briana Day had 13 for the Orange, who finished the season at 22-11.
UConn held Syracuse without a field goal for more than three and a half minutes early in the first quarter and used a 9-0 run to build an 18-7 lead. The Huskies hit 12 of their first 18 shots and led 28-11 after a fast-break bucket at the first-quarter buzzer by Crystal Dangerfield.
A 3-pointer by Nurse gave UConn its first 20-point lead at 31-11, and another pushed the lead to 30 at 55-25.
Nurse, who missed the final four games of the regular season with a stress injury in her right ankle, had eight 3s and 26 points by halftime, and the Huskies led 57-29.
› No. 2 Stanford 69, No. 7 Kansas State 48: Brittany McPhee had 21 points, Alanna Smith added 19 and second-seeded Stanford routed No. 7 seed Kansas State to advance to the Cardinal’s 10th straight Sweet 16.
The Cardinal (30-5) had no problem dealing with the Wildcats (23-11) or their home crowd, which spent much of the game sitting in silence. Stanford roared to a 39-21 halftime lead and never looked back in advancing to face No. 3 seed Texas on Friday night in Lexington, Ky.
The Cardinal beat the Longhorns 71-59 when they met in early November.
Kindred Wesemann had 11 points and Breanna Lewis was held to nine in their final game for the Wildcats (23-11), who have not advanced past the NCAA tournament’s opening weekend since 2002.
› Oregon 74, Duke 65: Ruthy Hebard had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Oregon earned its first Sweet 16 berth by upsetting Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Maite Cazorla added 17 points and Lexi Bando finished with 14 points to help Oregon (22-13) become the first No. 10 seed in a decade to reach the round of 16.
The Ducks, in their first tournament since 2005, had never advanced past the second round in their 12 previous appearances. Now they’re on to Bridgeport, Conn., to take on third-seeded Maryland (322) in a regional semifinal.
› Washington 108, Oklahoma 8: Kelsey Plum scored 38 points, adding another record to her career resume, and No. 3 seed Washington raced past No. 6 seed Oklahoma to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals.
The Huskies (29-5) are going to the Sweet 16 in consecutive years for the first time in school history, thanks to an offensive showcase against the Sooners in which Plum didn’t do it alone.