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Alexa Filippo
multiple authors
Fort Worth, Texas–No. 1 yukon huskies They found themselves in unfamiliar territory at halftime of their Sweet 16 matchup against No. 4 North Carolina On Friday.
Sure they were ahead on the Tar Heels, but trailed 12-11 after the first quarter, and even though they managed to lead 28-20 at the break, North Carolina didn’t make it too easy.
UConn establishes more groove en route to second half win 63-42 Which clinched the program’s 30th Elite Eight berth and 53rd consecutive win.
But the experience of grinding things out was probably just what the Huskies needed as they capped an undefeated campaign with three wins and back-to-back national titles.
“I think it was a big win for us because we had to figure things out when things weren’t going our way,” the senior guard said. azy fad Said. “I just feel like it gives us the confidence to move forward, that when things are going our way, no one can stop us.”
in their Second round victory on MondayThe Huskies enthralled the crowd with a stellar performance in the first half. SyracuseJumping ahead 65-12.
UConn’s defense looked promising from the start on Friday — the team set an NCAA record for single-season steals with 583 before the end of the game — but its offense stalled against North Carolina’s tough, physical defensive unit.
The Huskies forced 11 UNC turnovers, but shot only 36% from the field and went 1-for-9 on 3-pointers in the first half. 11-point frame from the second year sarah strongAlso 11 points off the bench from the new player. blanca quinonezHelped UConn advance. But it still resulted in the Huskies’ first sub-30-point first half of the season.
“The first half it felt like we were lost,” Fudd said. “It felt like we were rushing a little bit… Almost felt like we needed our second wind. So at halftime, [we had to] take that breath and [said] ‘Listen, we’re up there. We are not playing well at all. We are above, compromise.
The Huskies responded out of the break to put the momentum away for good. A 12-0 run early in the third period gave them their first 20-point lead of the competition. Coach Geno Auriemma was pleased with how the team played at a fast pace, allowing the Huskies to counter North Carolina’s defense and score first in the shot clock.
The Huskies outscored the Tar Heels 37–13 in the second and third quarters, including 20–5 in the third.
“I think we came out that half and became aggressive and really gave them the first punch,” the junior said. ashlyn shed Said, “And just kept walking.”
Fudd continued, “We got the first part out of our system and we walked out, I think, just a little more confident, a little more calm, a little more confident.”
Strong paced the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds, good for his fourth 20-10 NCAA Tournament game of his career, the most in UConn history for a player through his first two NCAA Tournaments.
Quinonez (16 points) and Fudd (10) also finished in double figures. Indya Nivar (20) The Tar Heels had almost half the points.
The Huskies will next face the No. 6 seed Notre Dame Hoping to advance to their 17th Final Four in 18 tournaments. And Auriemma believes Friday’s experience “could be good going forward, because I can imagine that happening again on Sunday.”
“You have to go in expecting it’s going to be tough, and you have to expect the other team to make it hard for you to score,” Auriemma said. “It’s been like that a lot of the time, and then you get years where everything goes right, and you turn 25 at halftime, and they think, ‘Ah, this is great.’ This is the exception rather than the rule.”
