UConn opens with 88-point rout

Huskies tally 94 in first half, total 140 to bury St. Francis

STORRS, Conn. — Azura Stevens had 26 points to lead six Connecticut scorers in double figures as the Huskies opened their NCAA Tournament with a record-setting 140-52 rout of Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday.

The tournament’s top seed set a record for points in a tournament game and all-time NCAA records for points in a period (55 in the first) and a half (94 in the first).

The 88-point margin of victory by UConn (33-0) was the second-biggest in tournament history. Baylor beat Texas Southern by 89 in the 2017 tournament.

The previous record for points in a tournament game was 121. The previous mark for points in a half was 80 and for a quarter was 45.

Stevens also had 10 rebounds. Katie Lou Samuelson had 18 points and 10 assists, Kia Nurse 15 points and 10 rebounds and Napheesa Collier 25 points and nine assists.

UConn shot 65 percent from the floor, 73.6 percent in the first half, and outscored the No. 16 seed 96-10 in the paint.

Jessica Kovatch, who came in as the nation’s second leading scorer at 24.4 points per game, finished with nine, all in the second half, for the Red Flash (24-10).

Albany Region ■ No. 3 Florida State 91, No. 14 Little Rock 49 — At Tallahassee, Fla., Shakayla Thomas scored 26 points for the Seminoles (26-6), who made 35 of 60 shots and went on a 23-0 run to bury the Trojans (23-10).

■ No. 4 Georgia 68, No. 13 Mercer 63 — At Athens, Ga., Caliya Robinson had 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs (26-6), who halted a program-record 27game win streak by the Bears (30-3).

■ No. 5 Duke 72, No. 12 Belmont 58— At Athens, Ga., Leaonna Odom scored 25 points for the Blue Devils (23-8), who overcame a onepoint halftime deficit and halted a 22-game win streak by the Bruins (31-4).

■ No. 11 Buffalo 102, No. 6 South

Florida 79 — At Tallahassee, Fla., Cierra Dillard scored 36 points for Buffalo (28-5), which eclipsed 100 points for the first time since 1995 and beat South Florida (26-8) for its first NCAA Tournament win.

■ No. 9 Quinnipiac 86, No. 8 Miami 72 — At Storrs, Conn., Jen Fay scored 19 points for the Bobcats (28-5), who got past the Hurricanes (21-11) for their 23rd straight victory.

Spokane Region ■ No. 3 Ohio State 87, No. 14 George Washington 45 — At Columbus, Ohio, Stephanie Mavunga had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Buckeyes (28-6), who never trailed against the Colonials (19-14).

■ No. 11 Central Michigan 78, No.

6 Louisiana State 69 — At Columbus, Ohio, Tinara Moore scored 25 points for the Chippewas (29-4), who held a 40-27 edge in rebounds over the Tigers (19-10) in their first NCAA Tournament win. Kansas City Region ■ No. 1 Mississippi State 95, No. 16 Nicholls State 50 — At Starkville, Miss., Victoria Vivians had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs (33-1), who shot 50 percent and held a 51-29 rebounding edge over the Colonels (19-14).

■ No. 2 Texas 83, No. 15 Maine 54— At Austin, Texas, Jatarie White scored 17 points for the Longhorns (27-6), who didn’t led the Black Bears (23-10) get a rebound in the first eight minutes.

■ No. 3 UCLA 71, No. 14 American 60 — At Los Angeles, Monique Billings scored 20 points for the Bruins (25-7), who raced past the Eagles (26-7) with a 22-3 run.

■ No. 11 Creighton 76, No. 6 Iowa 70 — At Los Angeles, Jaylyn Agnew scored 24 points and Sydney Lamberty 20 to lead the Bluejays (19-12) past the Hawkeyes (24-8).

■ No. 7 Arizona State 73, No. 10 Nebraska 62 — At Austin, Texas, Robbi Ryan scored 16 points for the Sun Devils (22-12), who pulled away with a 14-0 third-quarter run to beat the Cornhuskers (21-11).

■ No. 9 Oklahoma State 84, No. 8 Syracuse 57 — At Starkville, Miss., freshman Jaden Hobbs made 8 of 9 3-point attempts and totaled 27 points to lead the Cowgirls (21-10) past the Orange (22-9).

Lexington Region ■ No. 4 Stanford 82, No. 13

Gonzaga 68 — At Stanford, Calif., freshman Kiana Williams scored 21 points for the Cardinal, who used a 9-0 third-quarter run to get past the Bulldogs (27-6).

■ No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast 80, No. 5 Missouri 70 — At Stanford, Calif., China Dow scored 21 points for the Eagles (31-4), who overcame 35 points by Sophie Cunningham to upend the Tigers (24-8).

Jessica Hill The Associated Press Connecticut forward Napheesa Collier steals the ball from St. Francis guard Jessica Kovatch during the Huskies’ 140-52 victory Saturday.