No. 3 UConn cruises to a 89-53 victory

ESTERO, Fla. -- UConn wasn't slowed by a slow start.

Once the Huskies got their fast break going, Wisconsin-Green Bay was no match for the defending national champions.

Moriah Jefferson had 19 points and Breanna Stewart added 17 for No. 3 UConn in an 89-53 victory Sunday night in the championship game of the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Tournament MVP Kia Nurse scored 16, all in the first half.

The Huskies (5-1) now have won 56 straight games when playing in regular-season tournaments.

"For us to score that many on them tonight is a lot," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "It happened quickly and it came from a lot of different angles. That's what good teams do."

Mehryn Kraker scored 12 and Tesha Buck had 10 points for UW-Green Bay (5-2).

"You can't make mistakes against them," UW-Green Bay coach Kevin Borseth said. "You have no margin for error. None."

UW-Green Bay started out as if it didn't want to be on the losing end of another UConn rout. The Huskies beat the College of Charleston 85-24 and Vanderbilt 91-52.

In the first couple of possessions, the Phoenix got long rebounds off missed shots and opened a 9-3 lead.

Then came the runs.

First, UConn took the lead with a 10-0 run. Green Bay tied it at 26 on Mariah Monke's 3-pointer with 5:32 left in the first half.

The Huskies ran off 11 straight points and led at halftime 37-26.

The difference in the first half: UConn had a 14-3 edge in points off turnovers.

"For the most part, I think we hit people first," Jefferson said. "That's we we have to continue to do."

UConn opened the second half with a 14-2 run and cruised the rest of the way.

TIP-INS

UConn: The Huskies shot 50.8 percent from the floor (30 for 59) and made 21 of 22 free throws. They also had a 42-26 rebound advantage.

Green Bay: After taking just four 3-pointers in a win over Arizona State, UW-Green Bay took 30 against UConn. The Phoenix made nine.

"We weren't surprised they'd take a bunch," Auriemma said. "They're a great 3-point shooting team. It wasn't gonna be easy to score against us inside. I don't know if they thought they couldn't trade 2s with us.

"I think we rushed them a bit," he said. "Their legs gave out there a little bit. It happened a lot in the second half."

WINNING PROGRAMS

UW-Green Bay has 37 straight winning seasons. UConn has 28 straight winning seasons. Auriemma has 886 wins while Borseth has 584 victories.

FANATICS

A total of 10,381 fans attended UConn's three games at Germain Arena, most of them Huskies fans. It's about 1,200 miles from Storrs, Connecticut. to Estero. In contrast, a total of 9,012 fans attended the three Florida Gulf Coast men's games at Germain Arena earlier in the week. FGCU's campus is just four miles from the arena.

UP NEXT

UConn: Plays at No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday.

Green Bay: Hosts Western Michigan on Saturday.