UConn women win 20th for 26th year in a row

HARTFORD, CONN. >> Katie Lou Samuelson ended her shooting slump by doing everything else well.

The All-American got out in transition and into the paint, scoring a season-high 31 points with five assists, four steals and three blocks to lead No. 5 UConn over East Carolina 118-55 on Wednesday night.

“That’s how any player can get out of a shooting slump,” she said. “It’s making sure that every play you are doing something, whether it’s scoring or not, but make sure you get involved.”

Napheesa Collier hit all 10 of her shots and added 21 points for the Huskies (20-2, 9-0 American Athletic Conference), who reached 20 wins for the 26th straight season.

Christyn Williams scored 15 points, Megan Walker 14, and Crystal Dangerfield had 12 points and 12 assists. The Huskies had 35 assists on 45 baskets, giving up decent shots for easier ones.

“That next pass really says a lot about who you are,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “The other thing it says is, ‘Coach I always know when a guy is open, so in a big game, you can always trust me to make this pass.’ As opposed to, ‘When I get it, I’m shooting it. I don’t care who’s open.’”

Raven Johnson had 14 points and Lashonda Monk 12 for East Carolina (11-11, 2-7) which lost for the sixth time in seven games.

UConn has fallen to its lowest national ranking in a dozen years after a loss to No. 3 Louisville and a lackluster 10-point win at Cincinnati.

Men’s

Jalen Smith had 18 points and

11 rebounds and fueled Maryland’s surge in the first half in beating Nebraska 60-45.

Bruno Fernando had his sixth consecutive double-double, and

15th of the season, with 13 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for the Terps (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten).

Nebraska (13-10, 3-9) set season lows for points and field goal percentage (21 percent) while losing its sixth straight and dropping to

13th place in the conference.