Why Blanca Quinonez is the ‘X-factor’ for UConn women’s basketball heading into Final Four
FORT WORTH, Texas — Notre Dame went into its Elite Eight matchup against the UConn women’s basketball team with a straightforward game plan: Shut down Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong . In theory, keying in on the Huskies’ duo of first team All-Americans was a wise strategy. Then, Blanca Quinonez happened.
No. 1 UConn (38-0) was trailing the 6-seed Irish (25-11) 5-4 shortly after Quinonez checked in off the bench midway through the first quarter. Five minutes later, the freshman forward had 12 of Huskies’ 20 points, and the team was heading into the second quarter with a nine-point lead.
Strong and Fudd both struggled in the first half of Sunday’s 70-52 victory at Dickies Arena, but Quinonez did everything for UConn until the superstars hit their stride, from securing defensive boards to knocking down 3-pointers to facilitating opportunities for her teammates. She finished with just her second 20-point performance of the season and added team-high eight rebounds, three assists and a steal to earn her place on the Forth Worth 1 All-Region team. “That’s the catch-22.
We wanted to contain Sarah and Azzi, make it a really tough night, but we had to make sure no one else was a factor,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “Blanca was a big factor … She was the X-factor for them. We unfortunately let her loose, and she got going.
” Quinonez has been the breakout star of the tournament for the undefeated Huskies, averaging 17. 3 points, 4. 8 rebounds, 2.