UConn women’s basketball detonates 16-seed UTSA, 90-52
The Huskies ran over the Roadrunners in their first NCAA Tournament game.
The UTSA Roadrunners take on the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament First Round at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Ian Bethune — The UConn Blog UConn women’s basketball kicked off the NCAA Tournament by detonating the 16-seed UTSA Roadrunners, 90-52. The Huskies advance to the second round for the 31st consecutive season with a wire-to-wire victory.
Sarah Strong led the way with 18 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists while Blanca Quiñonez put up 15 points, five boards and three steals. Ashlynn Shade reached 1,000 career points with 14 on the day while Kayleigh Heckel chipped in with 11 points and a game-high five assists. As a team, UConn forced 27 turnovers which turned into 35 points the other way.
The Huskies also won the rebound battle 43-28 and scored 19 second-chance points off 16 offensive boards. They assisted on 20 of 35 baskets. After a 12-day layoff, UConn struggled to find a rhythm on offense.
The Huskies made just four of their first 13 shots, started 0-7 from three and didn’t hit a jumper until 2:16 remained in the opening quarter. At one point, UConn was 8-9 layups but 3-18 on everything else. Despite that, the Huskies’ defense showed up from the opening tip.