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The UConn Huskies dominated the East Carolina Pirates 94-46 in front of a loud Gampel Pavilion crowd. It was the Huskies' final tune-up before their big matchup against South Carolina on Monday.
Kia Nurse led the home team in scoring with 20 points, surpassing her season-high of 18 and falling two points shy of matching her career-high. She did most of her damage from beyond the arc, shooting 4-of-7 from deep, and also added four assists.
Morgan Tuck started her second game back from knee soreness, which sidelined the junior for the last two weeks. She remained limited, playing 17 minutes and only scoring seven points.
The Huskies got ECU's leading scorer Jada Payne in foul trouble early, which was problematic for a Pirates team only dressing eight players. Offensively, UConn came out firing to start the game, going on a quick 14-0 run. The Huskies utilized the three-pointer early, making five in the first quarter, and finished 11-of-27 from deep. They did not miss consecutive shots until there was a minute left in the first quarter.
The UConn defense was suffocating once again, as the Pirates became the eighth straight opponent to turn the ball over 20 times. The Huskies held ECU to just 38.5% shooting from the field, and a miserable 20% from three.
Breanna Stewart put up her 34th career double-double, scoring 17 points to go with 10 rebounds. Late in the first half, Stewart stole the ball at midcourt and had a wide open lane to the hoop. Much to the dismay of everyone in attendance, she laid the ball in instead of dunking it.
The Huskies improve to 22-0 (12-0 AAC) on the season while the Pirates fall to 9-14 (3-8 AAC). Next, UConn travels to Columbia to take on the undefeated No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks on Monday night.
Photo gallery credits: Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog