Quinonez Stuns in UConn's NCAA Opener

0:00It's March 22nd. Welcome in. This is Hartford News today, where local news meets AI. UConn's number one seated women's basketball team dominated their NCAA. A tournament opener with a 90-to-52 win over 16-C Texas-Anne Antonio. Freshman forward Blanca Quinninez stole the show, finishing with 15 points on 6-4-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to help secure the blowout victory. Only in the first quarter, Quinninez missed three straight three-pointers, prompting coach Gino Oriema to bench her briefly for sophomore Alli, Zeebeau. But she returned in the second quarter, fired up, scoring her first points on a steal in layup, then going perfect from the field to tally 10 points. By half-time while leading in rebounds, steals, and blocks. Teammates rave about her all-around intensity on both ends of the court, saying she boosts the team's energy and is tough to guard anywhere on the floor.

1:00Oriema highlights her fearlessness and quick adaptation to college ball, noting how she impacts games in multiple ways without hesitation. Quinninez hails from Ecuador and play professionally in Italy for five years before joining UConn, where she skipped early summer workouts to finish high school. Despite that, she's the team's third leading scorer at 9.9 points per game, with strong numbers and rebounds, assists, steals, and 37% from three. The undefeated Huskies now gear up for nine seed Syracuse in the second round Monday at Gampel Pavilion, where Quinninez could build on her tournament, debut as the pressure ramps up.