Sarah Strong had 21 points and 10 rebounds as defending national champion and overall No. 1 seed UConn overwhelmed North Carolina 63-42 in the women's NCAA Tournament. The unbeaten Huskies are going to the Elite Eight for the 30th time. Blanca Quiñonez added 16 points while Azzi Fudd, an AP All-American like Strong, had 10 points.
Israel hits Iranian nuke facilities and Tehran strikes base in Saudi Arabia, wounding US troopsTrump signs executive order to pay TSA workers with other funds after House rejects funding billUS Treasury plans to put Trump's signature on new paper currency in first for sitting presidentTiger Woods arrested on suspicion of DUI after rollover crash, sheriff saysUS book critics honor Nobel laureate and South Korean novelist Han KangWall Street drops again to close its 5th straight losing week and its worst since the Iran warHe suddenly couldn't speak in space.
NASA astronaut says his medical scare remains a mysteryA red fox stows away on a cargo ship, traveling from England to the USA Medicaid 'spend down' may get an older person long-term care coverage but isn't a DIY strategyAt Middle Creek, timing and distance shape a photo of migrating geeseThe World in PicturesUganda reintroduces rhinos into a protected area where they have been extinct since 1983Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredientsAs demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, healthy habits are still keyAI is giving bad advice to flatter its users, says new study on dangers of overly agreeable chatbotsThe future of fish is looking a lot like meatTrump interrumpe reunión del gabinete sobre Irán y el aumento de precios para hablar de plumonesLive updates: Iranian missile attack wounds 10 US troops at Saudi air base, AP sources sayThe Afternoon WireTrump signs executive order to pay TSA workers with other funds after House rejects funding billUS Treasury plans to put Trump's signature on new paper currency in first for sitting presidentTiger Woods arrested on suspicion of DUI after rollover crash, sheriff saysUS book critics honor Nobel laureate and South Korean novelist Han KangWall Street drops again to close its 5th straight losing week and its worst since the Iran warHe suddenly couldn't speak in space. NASA astronaut says his medical scare remains a mysteryA red fox stows away on a cargo ship, traveling from England to the USA Medicaid 'spend down' may get an older person long-term care coverage but isn't a DIY strategyAt Middle Creek, timing and distance shape a photo of migrating geeseThe World in PicturesUganda reintroduces rhinos into a protected area where they have been extinct since 1983Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredientsAs demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, healthy habits are still keyAI is giving bad advice to flatter its users, says new study on dangers of overly agreeable chatbotsThe future of fish is looking a lot like meatTrump interrumpe reunión del gabinete sobre Irán y el aumento de precios para hablar de plumonesUConn’s KK Arnold, left, Serah Williams and Sarah Strong celebrate late in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn guard Azzi Fudd drives to the basket as North Carolina’s Indya Nivar and Lanie Grant defend in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. North Carolina guard Indya Nivar celebrates after blocking a shot attempt by UConn guard KK Arnold in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. North Carolina guard Indya Nivar drives to the baske past UConn forward Sarah Strong, right, in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn forward Sarah Strong smiles after sinking a basket in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn’s KK Arnold, left, Serah Williams and Sarah Strong celebrate late in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn’s KK Arnold, left, Serah Williams and Sarah Strong celebrate late in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn guard Azzi Fudd drives to the basket as North Carolina’s Indya Nivar and Lanie Grant defend in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn guard Azzi Fudd drives to the basket as North Carolina’s Indya Nivar and Lanie Grant defend in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. North Carolina guard Indya Nivar celebrates after blocking a shot attempt by UConn guard KK Arnold in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. North Carolina guard Indya Nivar celebrates after blocking a shot attempt by UConn guard KK Arnold in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. North Carolina guard Indya Nivar drives to the baske past UConn forward Sarah Strong, right, in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. North Carolina guard Indya Nivar drives to the baske past UConn forward Sarah Strong, right, in the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn forward Sarah Strong smiles after sinking a basket in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn forward Sarah Strong smiles after sinking a basket in the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. FORT WORTH, Texas — Sarah Strong chose UConn over North Carolina instead of staying home, and the All-America sophomore forward is a step closer to a second national title after helping knock the Tar Heels out of the women’sStrong, who is from Durham, not far from the UNC campus, had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the defending champion and overall No. 1 seed Huskies won 63-42 on Friday. UConn is going to the“She’s just such a hard guard. I mean, I love the kid. I love the kid, who she is, her core. I love her family, but I really love her as a basketball player,” said North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, who recruited Strong. “She’s so fun to watch. And she’s a problem, right? She hurt us in off-ball action and non-ball action.” After Blanca Quiñonez made a layup at the start of the second quarter to put UConn ahead to stay, Strong then made four consecutive field goals in a two-minute span. That was part of a stretch when the Huskies outscored fourth-seeded North Carolina 37-13 over the second and third quarters. “I started looking at ... being more aggressive, and I know that probably opens up my teammates,” Strong said. “It gives me confidence to keep doing it, and gives my team confidence to keep shooting and keep playing well.” UConn will play the sixth-seeded Fighting Irish in the Fort Worth Region 1 final Sunday to fill the first slot for the Final Four in Phoenix. Hannah HidalgoIt will be the ninth meeting between UConn and Notre Dame in March Madness. Their first eight tourney games, the last in 2019, were all in the Final Four, including back-to-back national championship games in 2014 and 2015. UConn won both of those during its run of four consecutive titles., had 10 points for the Huskies, who are seeking their 13th national championship and extended their overall winning streak to 53 games. Quiñonez finished with 16 points off the bench, including the go-ahead basket before Strong’s quick scoring spurt. “The hardest job that we as coaches have is getting her to do that for not seven minutes but 27 minutes,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Strong. “To act like that, to think like that, you know, to impose herself on the game like that. It’s a real challenge. ... Then when she does it, she makes it look so easy.”Strong, the Big East Player of the year, had 11 points in the second quarter, when UConn outscored the Tar Heels 17-8 to take a 28-20 halftime lead. Also the league’s top defender, she finished with two blocked shots and five steals. UConn came out of the break with a 12-0 run that included a layup and a 3-pointer by Fudd, who in the first half was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting.“Especially defensively that first half, we were about as good as you want to be,” said Auriemma, who got his 1,287th career win. “Then that third quarter our offense caught up to our defense, and we kind of separated ourselves.”North Carolina hasn’t advanced past the Sweet 16 since 2014, which was 20 years after its only national title.UConn’s 18 steals pushed its season total to an NCAA-record 583, breaking Grambling’s mark 580 set in 1997. “Sometimes you just have the kind of team that enjoys playing like that, and you have players that have that kind of mindset,” Auriemma said. “It’s really just a mindset and a constant pressure leads to the other team making mistakes. ... I didn’t know there was any record available to steal, but we do have a lot of them over the season, and we do force a lot of turnovers.”Trump signs executive order to pay TSA workers with other funds after House rejects funding bill
Sarah Strong Connecticut Huskies Blanca Quionez College Sports North Carolina Tar Heels Womens College Basketball College Basketball North Carolina CT State Wire March Madness NCAA Tournament TX State Wire Connecticut NC State Wire TN State Wire North Carolina Tar Heels Womens Basketball Texas Womens Sports Connecticut Huskies Womens Basketball NCAA Womens Bracket Tennessee IN State Wire Indiana North Carolina State Wolfpack Womens Basketball Sports Courtney Banghart Hannah Hidalgo
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