UConn Crushes Cornell 100-35
Defensive pressure stifled the Big Red as the Huskies secured their 31st consecutive season opener victory.
By Daniel Rogers ·
Cornell led UConn for 63 seconds before the Huskies erased the deficit and never looked back. The Big Red failed to score for nearly seven minutes in the first half, allowing the lead to swell past 30 points with under three minutes remaining in the second quarter. The final margin at PeoplesBank Arena was 100-35.
The result extends UConn’s winning streak in season openers to 31 straight years. The program now holds a 45-8 all-time record in first games, including a 38-4 mark under coach Geno Auriemma that has persisted since November 1995.
Auriemma designed the matchup to serve as a final tune-up before the schedule intensifies. The coaching staff used the game to test defensive schemes and rotate players through lineups. This preparation is essential because the Huskies face top-20 ranked opponents in their next four games.
The defensive performance drove the win. UConn recorded 25 steals, forcing 29 total turnovers from Cornell. The Huskies converted those mistakes into 43 points. Sarah Strong set a career high with seven steals before halftime and finished the game with eight. She and Jovana Popovic each scored 19 points.
The Huskies pressed and trapped the ball, forcing Cornell players to rush the ball down the court. When the Big Red stalled, at least two UConn defenders converged on the handler. This strategy limited Cornell to just two field goals in the first quarter.
Auriemma used 10 of his available 12 players within the first nine minutes. He emptied the bench with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Eleven different Huskies scored in the win. Blanca Quiñonez and Marine Dursus made their season debuts after missing preseason due to injuries.
Quiñonez, the 2026 Big East Freshman of the Year, recorded four points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes. Dursus added 11 points, two steals, and one assist in 17 minutes. Redshirt sophomore Morgan Cheli sat out with a day-to-day injury.
The women’s game served as the first half of a doubleheader. UConn’s men’s team hosted Gardner-Webb at 9 p.m. at the same venue. This marks the first same-site doubleheader in Hartford since November 20, 2022, when the women hosted NC State and the men hosted Delaware.
Source: New Canaan Advertiser (NCA)
