UConn women advance to 17th Final Four in past 18 seasons with 70-52 win over Notre Dame
Advancing to the Final Four for the 17th time in 18 seasons, the Huskies in the national semifinals is a March tradition.
The difference between a great team and an elite one can be a star performance coming from an unexpected source. No. 1-seeded UConn benefited from Blanca Quiñonez producing off the bench for a 70-52 win over No.
6 Notre Dame on Sunday to advance to the Final Four for the third consecutive year. The Huskies are a regular presence in the women’s Final Four, advancing to the national semifinals for the 17th time in the past 18 seasons. Quiñonez was the Huskies’ third-leading scorer during the regular season, so her performance shouldn’t have been unexpected.
However, on a team with stars like Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, she can be overlooked. That may have been the case for Notre Dame’s defense in its Elite Eight matchup on Sunday. The freshman forward scored 14 points in the first half while Strong and Fudd struggled with their shooting early on, lifting the Huskies to a 32-25 halftime lead.
Quiñonez finished with 20 points, shooting 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, adding 7 rebounds. Notre Dame’s star guard Hannah Hidalgo began quietly, going scoreless in the first quarter as UConn sent two and three defenders at her every time she touched the ball. But the Fighting Irish adjusted, moving her around the court to free her up.