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Huskies set records in rout

Connecticut's Katie Lou Samuelson (33), Gabby Williams (15), Kia Nurse (11), and Azurá Stevens (23) react on the sideline during the second half of a first-round game against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, March 17, 2018. UConn won 140-52. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Connecticut's Katie Lou Samuelson (33), Gabby Williams (15), Kia Nurse (11), and Azurá Stevens (23) react on the sideline during the second half of a first-round game against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, March 17, 2018. UConn won 140-52. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) Connecticut's Katie Lou Samuelson (33), Gabby Williams (15), Kia Nurse (11), and Azurá Stevens (23) react on the sideline during the second half of a first-round game against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, March 17, 2018. UConn won 140-52. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

By Associated Press 8 min read

STORRS, Conn. – The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team was in an online group chat Friday night while watching the University of Maryland, Baltimore County upset top-seeded Virginia in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The players assured each other they weren’t going to let anything similar happen to them when they played their NCAA tournament opener Saturday at home.

Any upset hopes 16th-seeded Saint Francis (Pa.) might have had against the Albany Regional’s No. 1 seed – the program with 11 national championships – ended early as the Huskies went on to a record-setting rout. Azura Stevens had 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead six UConn players who scored in double figures during a 140-52 blowout of the Red Flash.

“Watching a No. 1 go down kind of motivated us to kind of come out from the start to be ready to go,” Stevens said.

UConn (33-0) set a record for points in a tournament game and all-time NCAA records for points in a period (55 in the first quarter) and a half (94 in the first). The previous record for points in a tournament game was 121. The previous mark for points in a half was 80; for a quarter, it was 45.