GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) – Katie Lou Samuelson scored 19 points and No. 1 Connecticut routed East Carolina 96-35 on Wednesday.
Gabby Williams added 18 points, Napheesa Collier had 14 points and Azura Stevens matched a season high with 16 rebounds for the Huskies (12-0, 2-0 American Athletic Conference).
Williams – who had the program’s fifth triple-double in her previous visit to ECU in January – had 12 points in the first quarter, and she and her teammates had an easy time finding lanes to the rim and attacking. UConn finished with 54 points in the paint, and 27 of its 40 field goals were layups.
Alex Frazier and Destiny Campbell had eight points apiece to lead East Carolina (8-7, 0-2), which fell to 0-9 in the series and has never kept it closer than 41 points.
Megan Walker and Crystal Dangerfield each had 10 points for UConn.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: Maybe someday, some team from the American will challenge the Huskies, who improved to 85-0 in regular-season and tournament games within the conference. Until then, they’ll have to be content with nitpicking the flaws that pop up in their blowouts – such as missing 13 of 14 shots late in the second quarter – and making sure they’re sharp for their annual run through the NCAA Tournament.
East Carolina: Coach Heather Macy’s bid for school history will have to wait a few more days. She entered tied with her predecessor Sharon Baldwin-Tener for the most coaching victories in program history. Nobody expected win No. 127 to come against the mighty Huskies.
WEATHER REPORT
Tip-off time was moved up five hours to 2 p.m. in an attempt to finish the game before a winter storm was expected to dump snow, sleet and freezing rain on the Southeast seaboard. An announced crowd of 1,823 – the smallest to watch the Huskies this season – showed up for the makeshift midweek matinee.
UP NEXT
UConn: Plays at South Florida on Saturday night.
East Carolina: Travels to Memphis for a Saturday game.