NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and No. 2 UConn never trailed Monday night as the Huskies beat Oregon State 71-52 at the Baha Mar Women’s Championship.
Sarah Strong, the 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year, had 13 points, eight rebounds, six steals and two blocks for UConn (5-0). Jana El Alfy had 12 points.
Allie Ziebell scored seven of UConn's 20 second-quarter points and the Huskies took a 42-19 lead into halftime.
AJ Marotte led the Beavers (1-5) with 17 points and Kelsey Rees scored 10.
Oregon State: The Beavers need a staple win. They have lost three games in a row and are winless against Division-I opponents this season. The Beavers lone win was an 80-52 victory over Division-II Northwest Nazarene in their home opener.
UConn: The Huskies have too much talent for most teams. They are 3-0 all-time against the Beavers with each game coming at neutral sites. The first meeting between the programs was exactly 29 years ago, on Nov. 25, 1995.
Bueckers, the reigning Big East player of the week, hit a jumper to open the scoring and added three 3-pointers as she scored 11 first-quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting and the Huskies jumped to a 22-7 lead heading into the second.
Both teams shot 44% overall, but the Huskies attempted 19 more field goals than Oregon State. UConn had 11 steals, forced 24 OSU turnovers and had a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass. Connecticut outscored the Beavers 24-17 in points off turnovers and 12-2 in second-chance points.
Oregon State: Takes on Boston College on Wednesday in the third-place game.
UConn: Plays No. 18 Mississippi in the title game on Wednesday.
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