Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Samuelson’s 40 points carries No. 1 UConn
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Katie Lou Samuelson had a record-breaking night, scoring 40 points and hitting all 10 of her three-point shots to lead top-ranked Connecticut to a 100-44 rout of South Florida in the American Athletic Conference Women’s Tournament final.
Samuelson set a Division I record for consecutive three-pointers in a game and also set the tournament’s single-game scoring mark.
Napheesa Collier added 15 points as the Huskies won their 107th consecutive game and extended their conference winning streak to 82 games.
UConn has not lost to an AAC opponent since the league was formed four seasons ago.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Katie Lou Samuelson had a record-breaking night, scoring 40 points and hitting all 10 of her three-point shots to lead top-ranked Connecticut to a 100-44 rout of South Florida in the American Athletic Conference Tournament final on Monday.
Samuelson set a Division I record for consecutive three-pointers in a game and also set the tournament’s single-game scoring mark.
Napheesa Collier added 15 points as the Huskies won their 107th consecutive game and extended their conference winning streak to 82 games.
UConn has not lost to an AAC opponent since the league was formed four seasons ago. And this one was never in doubt.
Samuelson scored eight points and hit her first two three- pointers during an opening 12-0 run for the Huskies.
South Florida Coach Jose Fernandez used three of his four timeouts in the first quarter in an attempt to slow UConn down, but Collier’s buzzer-beating three-pointer from the left corner made it 30-11 after one.
Samuelson gave UConn its first 40-point lead with her eighth shot from behind the arc in the second quarter. She had 29 points in the first half, and the Huskies, who did not trail at any point during the tournament, led 62-23 at the break.
Samuelson played just eight minutes in the second half.
Dorottya Nagy had a season-high 15 points and Kitija Laksa added 13 for South Florida (24-8).
The Huskies have beaten the Bulls in all 23 of their meetings, including the past three conference title games.
BIG EAST DePaul moves on
MILWAUKEE — Jessica January hit 3 three-pointers and finished with 20 points to help No. 17 DePaul beat St. John’s 59-41 on Monday night in the semifinals of the Big East Conference Tournament.
January, the preseason Big East Player of the Year who missed 15 games with a broken finger before returning on Feb. 24, was the only DePaul (26-6) player to score at least 10 points.
The top-seeded Blue Demons will face No. 3 seed Marquette in the finals today.
After a conventional threepoint play by Akine Wellere put fifth-seeded St. John’s (2011) up 8-7, the Red Storm went nearly 5½ minutes without a field goal and missed 15 of their next 17 shots.
DePaul led by three points at the end of the first quarter, outscored St. John’s 17-4 in the second to take a 29-13 lead into break and led by double figures throughout the second half.
Wellere led St. John’s with 11 points. The Red Storm shot just 26 percent from the field and tied its season low for points.
In the other Big East semifinal game Amani Wilborn shot 7 of 12 from the field, made 7 of 8 free throws and finished with a career-high 21 points, 4 assists and 3 steals to help Marquette beat No. 23 Creighton 72-65. Allazia Blockton added 19 points and seven rebounds, while Danielle King scored 18 with 5 rebounds and 5 assists for third-seeded Marquette (24-7). Sydney Lamberty had 26 points and 15 rebounds for Creighton (23-7), which swept the regular-season series.