WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

03/21 16:26 CDT UConn women overwhelm UTSA 90-52 as the Huskies roll in their March Madness opener UConn women overwhelm UTSA 90-52 as the Huskies roll in their March Madness opener By JIM FULLER Associated Press STORRS, Conn. (AP) --- Sarah Strong scored 18 points and Ashlynn Shade added 14 to help No. 1 seed UConn rout UTSA 90-52 in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournamen t on Saturday. The Huskies (35-0) have won 51 consecutive games dating back to last season and looked dominant again despite not having a great shooting game from behind the 3-point line. UConn led 19-6 after the first quarter and poured it on in the second. Strong had nine points and two steals in the first quarter as the Huskies limited USTA to three field goals. UTSA (18-16) had one field goal in the final 8:54 of the second quarter and trailed 48-14 at the half as Strong hit a jumper right before the buzzer. Blanca Quinonez had 10 points during an 18-1 run for the Huskies Azzi Fudd picked up her third foul with 1:44 left in the opening quarter. KK Arnold was whistled for her third foul with 7:40 to play in the first half. UTSA had 27 turnovers in the game and only 20 baskets. Ereauna Hardaway was one of three UTSA players with 11 points. The Roadrunners reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 after winning the American Conference tournament.

Up next UConn will face either Syracuse or Iowa State on Monday looking to reach the Sweet 16 for the 32nd consecutive year. ___ AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness