The UConn women's basketball team is in the Final Four for the 25th time under head coach Geno Auriemma. On Sunday, the Huskies defeated Notre Dame 70-52 to move on in the NCAA tournament. In that game, UConn saw a heroine rise to the occasion and help lift the team.
That heroine is Blanca Quinonez, who did something quite remarkable with her 20-point performance.
“Freshman Blanca Quiñonez became the first player in UConn history with 20 points off the bench in the Elite Eight or later,” ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Quinonez won the respect of the Notre Dame head coach, Niele Ivey.
“She was the X factor for them,” Ivey said, per ESPN.
The UConn women are now 38-0 on the season, and looking for a few more wins.
The UConn women's team is putting up some historic numbers
With the victory over Notre Dame, UConn has now reached the Final Four in 17 of the last 18 NCAA tournaments. UConn head coach Auriemma says this group is quite special.
“This group, they don't have that kind of swagger, trash-talking kind of mentality. That's why I think, for me, I just keep my fingers crossed because it's not the kind of team that I've had in the past that has gone this far undefeated. It's not. They don't have that kind of mentality off the court, on the court. They're just a bunch of really nice kids that play hard for each other,” Auriemma said.
UConn will play either TCU or South Carolina in the Final Four. Those two teams play in the Elite Eight on Monday.
“Getting over this hump and getting to next weekend, I think that will let the air out,” Auriemma said, “and we can maybe just relax and play some good offensive basketball.”
