Connecticut Has Easy Time in Big East Final

Connecticut is not only heading into the NCAA tournament with a perfect record, it’s going there after two games of near-perfect play.

The Huskies (33-0) made their first six shots and 10 of 11 in defeating No. 20 Boston College, 96-54, Tuesday night at Piscataway, N.J., in the most lopsided championship game in the history of the Big East Conference women’s tournament.

“I don’t know if we can play any better,” Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said. “I said that last night but I thought we played better at times tonight, especially defensively.”

Ashja Jones, the tournament’s most valuable player, had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Tamika Williams had 18 points for Connecticut, which won its ninth consecutive conference tournament and secured its 14th consecutive berth in the NCAA tournament.

Conference player of the year Sue Bird scored 16 points, sophomore Diana Taurasi had 14 points and eight assists, and Swin Cash had 10 points for the Huskies, who extended their conference tournament winning streak to 27 games.

“They keep going for 40 minutes,” Boston College forward Nicole Conway said. “That’s what makes them so difficult. Some teams are satisfied only being up by 20. But UConn, they want to beat you by 50. They just want to put you away.”

The 42-point margin of victory topped the previous tournament record of 36, set by Connecticut in an 85-49 win over Seton Hall in 1995. The Huskies, who shot 59% against Boston College (23-7), also set a record for the biggest margin of victory in the three games, winning by an average of 38.7 points.

Connecticut held the previous record, winning by an average of 32.3 points in 1995, the year it won its first national championship.

“I sense right now we have not a sense of urgency but a sense of confidence going into the tournament,” Cash said. “We came out ready to play. We wanted to win another championship.”

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Big 12--Jia Perkins scored 24 points to lead No. 17 Texas Tech (18-10) over Missouri, 78-51, in the first round at Kansas City, Mo.... Kala Bowers scored 23 points and No. 12 Texas (20-8) beat Kansas, 63-61.... Angie Welle’s 22 points led No. 11 Iowa State (22-7) past Nebraska, 74-55.

Mid-Continent--Oakland (Mich.) defeated Valparaiso, 52-40, in the final at Fort Wayne, Ind.

Sun Belt--Cheryl Moody scored 17 points and No. 25 Florida International (26-5) beat North Texas, 66-49, in the final at New Orleans to earn an NCAA tournament bid.