FORT WORTH, Texas — Deciding to join UConn rather than remain close to home at North Carolina, All-America sophomore forward Sarah Strong has moved one step closer to securing a second national championship, having contributed to the elimination of the Tar Heels from the women’s NCAA tournament.
Strong, a native of Durham, not far from the UNC campus, recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds as the reigning champions and top-seeded Huskies secured a 63-42 victory on Friday. UConn now advances to the Elite Eight for the 30th occasion, where they will encounter familiar adversaries in Notre Dame.
“She’s incredibly challenging to defend. Genuinely, I admire the young woman. I admire her character, her essence. I hold her family in high regard, but my appreciation for her as a basketball player is profound,” remarked North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, who had previously recruited Strong. “She’s captivating to observe. And she’s a significant issue, isn’t she? She caused us problems with both off-ball and non-ball actions.”
Following Blanca Quiñonez’s layup at the outset of the second quarter, which gave UConn (37-0) a lead they would not relinquish, Strong proceeded to make four consecutive field goals within a two-minute period. This scoring burst was part of a larger phase during which the Huskies outscored fourth-seeded North Carolina 37-13 across the second and third quarters.
“I began focusing on … being more assertive, and I recognize that this likely creates opportunities for my teammates,” Strong commented. “It instills confidence in me to persist, and it gives my team confidence to continue shooting and performing effectively.”
UConn is set to compete against the sixth-seeded Fighting Irish (25-10) in the Fort Worth Region 1 final on Sunday, aiming to claim the first berth in the Final Four in Phoenix. Hannah Hidalgo delivered a 31-point triple-double in Notre Dame’s 67-64 triumph over No. 2 seed Vanderbilt earlier on Friday. The Irish had previously suffered an 85-47 loss in a regular-season game at UConn on January 19.
This upcoming contest will mark the ninth confrontation between UConn and Notre Dame in the March Madness tournament. Their initial eight tournament games, the most recent occurring in 2019, all took place in the Final Four, encompassing consecutive national championship games in 2014 and 2015. UConn emerged victorious in both of those encounters during their streak of four consecutive titles.
Indya Nivar achieved a personal best of 20 points for the fourth-seeded North Carolina team (28-8).
Azzi Fudd, also recognized as an AP All-American, contributed 10 points for the Huskies, who are striving for their 13th national championship and have extended their overall winning streak to 53 games. Quiñonez concluded her performance with 16 points coming off the bench, including the crucial go-ahead basket just before Strong’s rapid scoring outburst.
“The most challenging aspect for us as coaches is encouraging her to sustain that level of performance for not seven minutes but 27 minutes,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma stated regarding Strong. “To behave that way, to think that way, you know, to assert herself on the game in that manner. It presents a genuine obstacle. … Yet, when she accomplishes it, she makes it appear effortless.”
Strong, recognized as the Big East Player of the Year, accumulated 11 points in the second quarter, a period where UConn outscored the Tar Heels 17-8 to establish a 28-20 lead at halftime. Additionally, as the league’s premier defender, she recorded two blocked shots and five steals.
UConn commenced the post-break period with a 12-0 scoring spree that featured a layup and a 3-pointer from Fudd, who had been restricted to merely two points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half.
The Tar Heels recorded 24 turnovers and achieved a season-low shooting percentage of 28% (17-of-60) from the field.
“Particularly defensively in that first half, our performance was as strong as one could wish for,” observed Auriemma, who secured his 1,287th career win. “Then in the third quarter, our offensive play matched our defense, and we managed to pull away.”
North Carolina has not advanced beyond the Sweet 16 round since 2014, a span of two decades following their solitary national title victory.
This encounter represented another frustrating Sweet 16 appearance. Their previous season concluded in the identical round last year with a 47-38 defeat at the hands of Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke.
UConn’s 18 steals propelled its season total to an NCAA-record 583, eclipsing Grambling’s previous record of 580 established in 1997.
“Occasionally, you simply have the type of team that relishes playing with such intensity, and you possess players who embody that particular mindset,” Auriemma explained. “It’s truly just a mental approach, and continuous pressure ultimately causes the opposing team to make errors. … I was unaware that a record was even attainable for steals, but we have certainly amassed a significant number of them throughout the season, and we consistently compel opponents into committing numerous turnovers.”
