GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The key for No. 3 UConn to get open shots for Christyn Williams, Anna Makurat and others was defensive stops.
Sandwiched between a big win against Tennessee on Thursday and hosting the U.S. women's national team on Monday was a game against an unranked opponent in the American Athletic Conference, where the Huskies continued their dominance Saturday by pulling away from East Carolina after a tight first quarter for a 98-42 victory.
The Huskies (18-1, 8-0) went 15 of 25 from three-point range, including 8 of 10 by Makurat, a freshman who finished with 24 points off the bench. Williams (Central Arkansas Christian) scored 26, and Megan Walker had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
UConn (18-1, 8-0) improved its record in AAC regular-season and postseason games to 128-0. ECU (3-16, 0-6) lost its 12th consecutive game and dropped to 5-100 all-time versus ranked opponents.
"You need easy buckets, and the only way you get easy buckets is your defense has to be really good and you rebound the ball really good," UConn Coach Geno Auriemma said. "We could rebound and make one pass and we're off to the races. We get a steal and make that one pass and it's off to the races. It makes the game easier that way."
The Pirates got 17 points from Lashonda Monk, who provided a highlight when she banked in a shot from well behind the half-court line to end the first quarter.
UConn was leading 22-18 during the first minute of the second quarter when it went on a 16-1 run to seize control. It led 50-21 at halftime and 79-26 after three quarters.
"We get these kind of nights sometimes where everything seems to go our way," Auriemma said.
Consecutive three-pointers by Walker and Makurat made it 38-19 Huskies with 4:17 to go until halftime. Makurat was 7 of 8 from three-point range in the second half.
"Their program has been so consistent and I thought we played a really good first quarter and came out with some energy and executed and showed some fight," Pirates Coach Kim McNeill said. "Then we started missing layups. From that point, our confidence went down and we allowed them to live in transition."
NO. 2 BAYLOR 87,
TEXAS TECH 79
WACO, Texas -- Juicy Landrum scored 20 points and had two 3-pointers in an early run that put No. 2 Baylor ahead to stay, and the Lady Bears beat Texas Tech to extend their Big 12 record for consecutive regular-season conference victories to 47.
Lauren Cox added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Bears (17-1, 6-0). They also have a national-best 50-game home winning streak over the past three years. Queen Egbo added 16 points and eight rebounds.
Brittany Brewer had 24 points and nine rebounds for Texas Tech (13-4, 2-4). Lexi Gordon had 18 points and Chrislyn Carr had 16.
NO. 13 GONZAGA 78,
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 52
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Jill Townsend scored a career-high 28 points and Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount to extend its nation-best winning streak to 18 games.
Gonzaga (20-1, 9-0 West Coast) is off to the best start in program history and is closing in on the program record of 23 consecutive wins set during the 2004-05 season.
Chelsey Gipson scored 14 points for the Lions (7-15, 3-6).
Sports on 01/26/2020