OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Sarah Strong had 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals and Blanca Quiñonez came off the bench to score 15 points as top-ranked UConn routed Creighton 95-54 on Sunday.
The Huskies (17-0, 8-0 Big East) handed Creighton (7-9, 3-4) its most lopsided loss since a 44-point defeat to UConn two years ago.
Azzi Fudd had 14 points and five assists and Ashlynn Shade made four 3s for all 12 of her points.
Freshman Ava Zediker had 21 of her 24 points in the second half and Kennedy Townsend added 13 for the Bluejays.
UConn led Creighton’s annual Pink Out game 54-21 at half despite a bit of a sloppy start. The Huskies, who committed a season-low eight turnovers against St. John’s in their previous game, coughed it up eight times in the first quarter alone and finished with a season-high 21.
Creighton played the Huskies on even terms through six minutes and then wilted when UConn turned up its full-court defense another notch. The Huskies outscored Creighton 28-4 over a stretch of the first and second quarters, with the Bluejays turning over the ball 15 times and missing seven shots while going more than eight minutes without a field goal.
The Huskies shot 58.1%, made 11 of 26 3s and scored 26 points off Creighton’s 22 turnovers.
UConn is 13-0 all-time against Creighton and has won 55 straight Big East games, including those in the conference tournament. The Huskies scored 90-plus points for the ninth time and have an average winning margin of 38.2 points per game.
The Bluejays, who shot 31.1% and just 4 of 26 on 3s, start two freshmen and a sophomore and are missing senior point guard Kiani Lockett because of injury. Season scoring leader Neleigh Gessert, held to two points, has been dealing with a finger injury on her shooting hand.
Up next
UConn: Hosts Villanova on Thursday.
Creighton: Visit Providence on Saturday.
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