UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Azura Stevens scored 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead top-ranked UConn to a 75-21 rout of Cincinnati in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Monday night.
Napheesa Collier added 13 points for the Huskies (31-0), who have now won 100 games against AAC opponents without a loss since the league began play in 2013.
UConn led from the start and used a 38-0 run that stretched from the first quarter into the third to put the game away.
Andeija Puckett had five points for Cincinnati, which fell to 19-12.
The Huskies played without All-American forward Gabby Williams, who tweaked a long-standing hip injury in the Huskies’ quarterfinal win over Tulane.
They didn’t need her.
The Huskies led just 9-5 after a 3-pointer by Cincinnati’s Nikira Goings with 4:39 left in the first quarter. Those would be the last points the Bearcats would score until just over a minute and a half into the second half.
UConn scored the final eight points of the first quarter and outscored Cincinnati 26-0 in the second to take a 43-5 halftime lead.
Shanice Johnson ended the Bearcat drought with a 3-pointer that made it 47-8. UConn continued to stretch the lead, going up by as many as 56 points.
Stevens, starting in place of Williams, had her seventh double-double by intermission, with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
BIG PICTURE
Cincinnati: The Bearcats, who had won six of their previous seven games, shot 14 percent, making just 8 baskets on 58 attempts.
UConn: The five first-half points tied for the fewest the Huskies have ever given up in one half. Fairleigh Dickinson scored five against UConn in November, 2011. … UConn has won its last 157 games against unranked opponents and has 332 wins in its last 333 games against those outside the Top 25.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati: Awaits what it hopes will be a bid to a postseason tournament
UConn: The Huskies play South Florida in the AAC championship game at 5 p.m. Tuesday. This will be the fourth straight time the teams have met for the title. UConn won the previous three by an average of 32 points.
