Paige Bueckers started and scored 12 points as UConn began its run toward a 12th NCAA Tournament title with an 83-38 first-round rout of No. 15 seed Mercer on Saturday.
Last season’s national player of the year played 25 minutes, the most in six games since coming back from a left knee injury that kept her out for more than two months. She also had five assists and four rebounds.
Christyn Williams had 13 points to lead the Huskies (26-5) who opened the tournament with a win for the 28th straight time. Dorka Juhasz added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Shannon Titus had 12 points to lead Mercer (23-7), which was making its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Southern Conference champion Bears have never won an NCAA Tournament game.
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The Huskies led 43-23 at halftime, then shut out Mercer 20-0 in the third quarter. It was the third time in two years a team has held an opponent scoreless in a NCAA Tournament game. Stanford shut out Montana State in the first quarter Friday night and South Carolina held Texas scoreless for a quarter in the 2021 tournament.
The Huskies held Mercer to just 13 baskets on 56 shots (23%).
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Mercer played much of the game without leading scorer Amoria Neal-Tysor (17 points per game), who went down hard on her left elbow while driving to the basket in the second quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. She finished with four points and came out for the second half with her arm in a sling.
BIG PICTURE
Mercer: The Bears had allowed just one other opponent to score 70 points this season. That came early in December in a 71-70 overtime loss to Tennessee State.
UConn: The Huskies improve to 126-21 in the NCAA Tournament and 29-2 in their opening game.
UP NEXT
UConn faces the winner of Saturday’s second game between No. 7 seed UCF and No. 10 seed Florida.
