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STORRS — Freshman moments are rare for UConn women’s basketball forward Blanca Quinonez, but she had one in the first NCAA Tournament game of her career Saturday at Gampel Pavilion.
After Quinonez clanked a third 3-point jump shot in three minutes off the rim late in the first quarter against 16-seed Texas -San Antonio, a visibly irritated Geno Auriemma immediately turned and pulled sophomore guard Allie Ziebell off the bench to replace her. The Huskies’ coach briefly laid into Quinonez as she jogged past him, and the freshman didn’t flinch, just gave him a small nod and returned to her seat with a slight smile on her face.
“I just tried to find the easiest way to score and let it come to me so I didn’t have to force it,” Quinonez said. “Coach wasn’t happy because I took three shots in a row and I didn’t make one, but I just had to keep focused and not get upset about it.”
Nothing ever seems to phase Quinonez, not a slow start or Auriemma’s frustration or the win-or-go-home pressure cooker of the NCAA Tournament. Barely a minute after Auriemma put her back in during the second quarter, Quinonez had her first points of the game off a steal that she took coast to coast for a layup. She didn’t miss a single shot for the rest of the quarter to enter halftime with 10 points, and she also led the team in rebounds, steals and blocks in the second.
“I feel like her defensive and offensive intensity get us going,” All-American sophomore Sarah Strong said. “She can do a little bit of everything. She can play everywhere, and no one can really guard (her).”
The Huskies desperately needed Quinonez’s breakout after a sluggish offensive start, and the freshman powered the team to a 29-8 second quarter that opened up a 34-point halftime lead. She went on to finish with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting plus five boards, three steals and two block, helping No. 1 UConn to a 90-52 rout of UTSA. The undefeated Huskies advance to face 9-seed Syracuse in the second round Monday in Storrs.
UConn women’s basketball team routs 16-seed UTSA 90-52 in NCAA Tournament opener
“I was a little bit nervous, but once I get on the court, it’s another game,” Quinonez said. “It was good. I was excited, I was waiting for this moment … The environment was amazing, the fans were amazing, so I think as we keep going I’m gonna have more fun and more enjoyment.”
Quinonez was born in Ecuador and spent five years playing professionally in Italy before coming to UConn, so she didn’t grow up watching the NCAA Tournament. But following the college postseason via YouTube streams and social media clips in 2024 was a crucial factor in her decision to leave her overseas team and pursue a career in the NCAA. She loved the intensity of the games, the way the single-elimination format challenges players to meet the moment — or go home.
Is just she the type of player who thrives under that kind of pressure?
“Probably, yes. Coach would say not,” Quinonez said with a laugh. “I face a lot of pressure during practice from him, so I think that helps me. He’s just yelling at me, and every single thing is hard. He’s hard, but he’s just Coach, so you do what you have to do.”
Quinonez has delivered all season for the Huskies, so her performance on Saturday wasn’t a shock. The freshman is UConn’s third-leading scorer putting up 9.9 points per game, and she also averages 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and two steals. At 6-foot-2, she shoots above 37% on 3-pointers.
But what impresses Auriemma the most is Quinonez’s maturity, especially in how quickly she’s adapted to a brand new style of basketball. Quinonez wasn’t with the Huskies for most of their summer workouts while she completed her high school requirements and commitments to her team in Italy, so she arrived on campus in August without the baseline knowledge that UConn’s other newcomers got in June. In March, she’s putting all the pieces together when it matters most.
“There’s skills that she has, there’s a way of playing the game that she has the ability to impact it so many different ways,” Auriemma said. “I think that her biggest attribute is she’s fearless. She just pretty much plays the game, doesn’t have any hesitation at all, and you can use her in a lot of different ways, put her in a lot of different spots. I think she’ll get more and more comfortable, hopefully, as the next couple of days come around and hopefully beyond that.”
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After Quinonez clanked a third 3-point jump shot in three minutes off the rim late in the first quarter against 16-seed Texas -San Antonio, a visibly irritated Geno Auriemma immediately turned and pulled sophomore guard Allie Ziebell off the bench to replace her. The Huskies’ coach briefly laid into Quinonez as she jogged past him, and the freshman didn’t flinch, just gave him a small nod and returned to her seat with a slight smile on her face.
“I just tried to find the easiest way to score and let it come to me so I didn’t have to force it,” Quinonez said. “Coach wasn’t happy because I took three shots in a row and I didn’t make one, but I just had to keep focused and not get upset about it.”
Nothing ever seems to phase Quinonez, not a slow start or Auriemma’s frustration or the win-or-go-home pressure cooker of the NCAA Tournament. Barely a minute after Auriemma put her back in during the second quarter, Quinonez had her first points of the game off a steal that she took coast to coast for a layup. She didn’t miss a single shot for the rest of the quarter to enter halftime with 10 points, and she also led the team in rebounds, steals and blocks in the second.
“I feel like her defensive and offensive intensity get us going,” All-American sophomore Sarah Strong said. “She can do a little bit of everything. She can play everywhere, and no one can really guard (her).”
The Huskies desperately needed Quinonez’s breakout after a sluggish offensive start, and the freshman powered the team to a 29-8 second quarter that opened up a 34-point halftime lead. She went on to finish with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting plus five boards, three steals and two block, helping No. 1 UConn to a 90-52 rout of UTSA. The undefeated Huskies advance to face 9-seed Syracuse in the second round Monday in Storrs.
UConn women’s basketball team routs 16-seed UTSA 90-52 in NCAA Tournament opener
“I was a little bit nervous, but once I get on the court, it’s another game,” Quinonez said. “It was good. I was excited, I was waiting for this moment … The environment was amazing, the fans were amazing, so I think as we keep going I’m gonna have more fun and more enjoyment.”
Quinonez was born in Ecuador and spent five years playing professionally in Italy before coming to UConn, so she didn’t grow up watching the NCAA Tournament. But following the college postseason via YouTube streams and social media clips in 2024 was a crucial factor in her decision to leave her overseas team and pursue a career in the NCAA. She loved the intensity of the games, the way the single-elimination format challenges players to meet the moment — or go home.
Is just she the type of player who thrives under that kind of pressure?
“Probably, yes. Coach would say not,” Quinonez said with a laugh. “I face a lot of pressure during practice from him, so I think that helps me. He’s just yelling at me, and every single thing is hard. He’s hard, but he’s just Coach, so you do what you have to do.”
Quinonez has delivered all season for the Huskies, so her performance on Saturday wasn’t a shock. The freshman is UConn’s third-leading scorer putting up 9.9 points per game, and she also averages 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and two steals. At 6-foot-2, she shoots above 37% on 3-pointers.
But what impresses Auriemma the most is Quinonez’s maturity, especially in how quickly she’s adapted to a brand new style of basketball. Quinonez wasn’t with the Huskies for most of their summer workouts while she completed her high school requirements and commitments to her team in Italy, so she arrived on campus in August without the baseline knowledge that UConn’s other newcomers got in June. In March, she’s putting all the pieces together when it matters most.
“There’s skills that she has, there’s a way of playing the game that she has the ability to impact it so many different ways,” Auriemma said. “I think that her biggest attribute is she’s fearless. She just pretty much plays the game, doesn’t have any hesitation at all, and you can use her in a lot of different ways, put her in a lot of different spots. I think she’ll get more and more comfortable, hopefully, as the next couple of days come around and hopefully beyond that.”
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