UConn women easily handle Maryland 81-58 to reach title game

TAMPA, Fla. - Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck have UConn back in the championship game for the third consecutive year. Now the Huskies are one victory away from a third consecutive title.

Stewart scored 25 points and Tuck added 24 to lead UConn to an 81-58 win over Maryland on Sunday in the Final Four.

UConn will face Notre Dame for the title on Tuesday night in a rematch of last season’s championship game.

The Huskies have won nine titles overall and a victory over the Irish would tie Geno Auriemma with vaunted UCLA men’s coach John Wooden for the most all-time with 10. It would also be the second three-peat for UConn, which won three championships in a row from 2002-04.

Making the Final Four seems like a rite of spring for the Huskies (37-1) lately as the team has appeared in the last eight national semifinals.

UConn had cruised through the NCAA tournament, but Maryland coach Brenda Frese said her team wouldn’t be intimidated by the Huskies.

The Terrapins took it right at them from the start, hanging with UConn for the first 10 minutes. Maryland only trailed 22-19 before UConn scored seven consecutive points capped by Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis’ 3-pointer that made it a 10-point game. Maryland (34-3) didn’t back down getting back and pulled within 39-33 on Lexie Brown’s 3-pointer with 1:52 left in the half.

Then Tuck took over.

She scored the final five points of the half to give the Huskies a double-digit advantage going into the break.

She started the second half with another 3 as UConn scored the first nine points to break the game open. Her layup capped the burst and gave UConn a 53-33 advantage.

The Terrapins could only get within 14 the rest of the way as Stewart and Tuck answered every Maryland run.