Final Score: UConn Defeats East Carolina in AAC Tournament Quarterfinals, 92-51

Coming off a performance where the Huskies trailed at the half, Geno Auriemma made sure there would be no slow start today. He played all five of his starters for the entire first quarter en route to a 92-51 drubbing of East Carolina in the AAC Tournament Quarterfinals.

The Huskies shot 14-of-19 from the field in the first half and finished with five players in double figures- led by freshman Katie Lou Samuelson.

Samuelson hit the floor hard early in the first quarter but managed to stay in the game. She responded by getting an assist to Morgan Tuck and then scoring the Huskies next six points. She finished tied for the team lead with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Morgan Tuck was dominant, with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor while grabbing five rebounds. Since Tuck has stopped wearing her knee brace, she has been visibly more mobile, which has boosted her stats.

In the first half, UConn had more steals (6) than turnovers (5). They out-rebounded East Carolina handily and finished the day with 14 offensive boards. UConn held ECU scoreless over the last 6:07 of the half as the Huskies finished the second quarter on a 12-0 run.

The UConn bench did not score until there 5:09 left in the third quarter. However, with reserves playing most of the fourth quarter, the bench finished with 24 points total. Gabby Williams led the reserves with 14 points.

East Carolina, limited with only seven players dressed, did not score any bench points. The Pirates only shot 37% from the floor and turned the ball over 20 times. Jada Payne was the team's leading scorer with 16 points.

Breanna Stewart reached double figures for the 127th time in her career, which is 8th all-time in program history, thanks to a 15-point performance. She passed Stefanie Dolson for fourth on the all-time rebound list with eight rebounds in the game to get to 1,102.

With the win, the Huskies will move on to the semi-finals of the American Conference Tournament against the Tulane Green Wave.  Last Saturday, the Green Wave held a first-quarter lead over the Huskies on Senior Day in Storrs. Tip-off is at 4 pm.