Video: UConn Routes Mississippi State Women’s Basketball In Sweet 16

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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to lead No. 1 UConn to a 98-38 record rout of fifth-seeded Mississippi State on Saturday.

The win was the 72nd straight for UConn (35-0) and left the Huskies three victories shy of an unprecedented fourth consecutive national championship. Their road to that historic title got a bit easier Friday night when top seeds South Carolina and Notre Dame both lost in the Sweet 16.

Stewart and the Huskies were determined to make sure the upset trend didn’t continue Saturday. The best team in the nation put together one of its most dominant games during this run, needing just four minutes to quash any thoughts of the Bulldogs pulling off the upset.

The victory supplanted the record 51-point win the Huskies had over Texas in the regional semifinals last year that set the NCAA record for margin of victory in the regional rounds and beyond.

UConn will face either the Longhorns or UCLA in the regional final Monday night.

Stewart, the two-time AP player of the year, got the game started with a 3-pointer and UConn was off and running. The Huskies scored the game’s first 13 points, including 11 by Stewart and Morgan Tuck.

A basket by Mississippi State (28-8) did little to turn the tide as UConn scored 19 of the final 21 points of the quarter, including Moriah Jefferson’s basket that just beat the buzzer.

UConn kept it going in the second quarter, converting turnovers and missed shots into easy baskets. The Huskies shredded the Mississippi State defense, which entered giving up just 54.7 points a game. UConn surpassed that with 1:40 left in the first half and led 61-12 at the break. The Huskies fell two points short of the NCAA record for points in a half in the regionals or later. The Bulldogs points were the second fewest for a half in an NCAA regional semifinal, one more than Texas Tech had against Rutgers in 1999.

Stewart finished the opening 20 minutes with 18 points and 13 rebounds and UConn shot 65 percent (24 for 37) from the field.

The onslaught continued in the second half as UConn extended its advantage to 68. Coach Geno Auriemma took out Stewart and Jefferson for good with 3:52 left in the third quarter to a loud ovation from the nearly 9,000 fans in attendance. Tuck, who finished with 21 points, left soon after.

Victoria Vivians, who came into the game averaging 17.4 points, was held to six. She missed 12 of her 15 shots.

TIP-INS:

Mississippi State: The 28 wins are the most in program history, besting last season’s 27. … The Bulldogs fell to 0-11 all-time against No. 1 teams. … Morgan William fell three assists short of breaking the school’s single-season record. … This was only the Bulldogs second appearance in the Sweet 16. They also made it in 2010.

UConn: The Huskies have won 21 straight NCAA games, tying Tennessee for the longest streak. UConn won 20 consecutive games from 2002-05 before falling in the Sweet 16 to Stanford. … UConn’s senior class has won 148 games over their four years. They are two short of the NCAA record set by the Huskies’ class of 2011. … Katie Lou Samuelson became the third UConn freshman ever to have two 20-point NCAA games, joining Maya Moore and Stewart. She finished with 21 points. Samuelson had 22 in the opening round against Robert Morris.

DISHING THIEF

Jefferson moved up to second on UConn’s all-time steals and assists list passing Jen Rizzotti in both categories. The senior guard had four assists and four steals on Saturday, giving her 638 assists and 350 steals — one more than Rizzotti in both categories.

ALMOST RECORD BREAKING

The low for points in a NCAA regional semifinal and beyond is 35 by St. Bonaventure against Notre Dame in 2012. The Bulldogs passed that with about a minute left.