Huskies earn 10th straight trip to Final Four

UConn jumps on Oregon early, extends win streak to 111 games

BRIDGEPORT >> With an invitation to a record 10th straight Final Four on the line, the mighty UConn women’s basketball team wasted little time in running past a Cinderella Oregon team.

UConn used an early offensive eruption to roll to a 90-52 victory on Monday night at Webster Bank Arena.

UConn extended its NCAA alldivision basketball record winning streak to 111 games. It was also the 113th win in the NCAA tournament for UConn’s Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma breaking the mark he shared with former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. The win set up a national semifinal showdown with Mississippi State on Friday.

Oregon upset Temple, Duke and Maryland to reach its first regional final, but with UConn connecting early from the perimeter and then turning up the pressure defensively, the Huskies ran out to a 23-4 lead. The Huskies, who got off to a sluggish start offensively in the Sweet 16 win over UCLA, made 6 of its first 8 shots. Back-toback 3-pointers by Saniya Chong followed by a trey by Napheesa Collier keyed the early offensive explosion. By halftime, UConn already had more steals (11) than Oregon had made baskets.

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The Huskies made life especially difficult for the Ducks’ brilliant freshman guard Sabrina Ionescu who had five turnovers and just one basket in the first half.

Collier had 28 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for UConn (36-0). Collier recorded the 1,001st point of her career late in the third quarter. She has 96 points in the first four games of the NCAA tournament. Only Diana Taurasi, with 103 points, had more points in program history through the regional round of the tournament.

Gabby Williams had 25 points, six rebounds and four steals, Nurse had 11 points and six assists. Nurse hit three 3-pointers giving her 20 in the four tournament games matching the record for most 3s in one NCAA tournament. Betsy Harris had 20 for Alabama in 1994, Diana Taurasi of UConn matched that mark in 2003 and Maya Moore did the same seven years later.

Katie Lou Samuelson had five of UConn’s 15 steals.

The Huskies also set the NCAA women’s Division I record for assists in a season. UConn held the mark with 850 in 40 games during the 2013-14 season but will head into the Final Four with 852.

Ionescu had 15 points and fellow freshman Ruthy Hebard added 12 for Oregon.

JESSICA HILL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS UConn’s Saniya Chong holds the trophy as she poses with her teammates following their 90-52 win over Oregon in a Monday’s regional final in Bridgeport.

JESSICA HILL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS UConn’s Kia Nurse reacts after hitting a 3-pointer on Monday.