Bowie State scored the first 25 points of the game on the way to beating District of Columbia, 103-38, yesterday in the semifinals of the Best Western Classic at Bowie State.
The Bulldogs will play American International in today's final at 4 p.m.
Beverly Winstead had 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Bulldogs (7-2) extended their home winning streak to 32 games. Bowie State also received 18 points and 14 rebounds from Trenita Shields, and Rashida Brooks and Deidra Fields each had 15 points and combined for 22 rebounds.
The Bulldogs jumped ahead 25-0 before the Firebirds (3-12) made a free throw with 11: 58 left in the first half. Bowie out-rebounded UDC, 70-30.
No. 1 Connecticut 117, Quinnipiac 20: The game between the top-ranked Huskies (9-0) and the Braves (2-8), a program that moved to Division I only this season, was competitive for exactly 1 minute and 34 seconds.
Connecticut, celebrating its fifth week as the nation's No. 1 women's basketball team, took a 4-0 lead with 1: 34 gone and then the floodgates opened. The lead became 10-0, then 21-2 and 46-4 with 5: 29 remaining in the opening half of the game in Storrs, Conn.
The 97-point victory margin was a school record, breaking the mark of 80 set Nov. 26, 1994, in a 107-27 win over Morgan State. It was four points short of the widest margin for a game between two Division I teams, recorded Feb. 18, 1989, when Louisiana Tech defeated Texas-Pan Am, 126-25.
The 20 points scored by Quinnipiac were also a record. The previous mark for fewest points scored against UConn was 22 in a 74-22 victory by the Huskies over Loyola of Maryland on Jan. 6, 1995.
As bad as the final outcome was for Quinnipiac, it could have been much worse. The Huskies, who called off their full-court press early in the first half, missed 16 free throws.
Quinnipiac never gave up. It was just overwhelmed by a UConn defense that caused 38 turnovers. The Huskies out-rebounded the Braves, 63-21.
Quinnipiac coach Tricia Sacca took the blame for the loss.
"We played against the best today," Sacca said. "As a coaching staff, we didn't get our kids prepared for the first five minutes. We weren't prepared for their press."
Asked if she thought UConn coach Geno Auriemma might have rubbed it in, Sacca said: "Oh, no. I thought Geno was very kind."
Despite the mismatch, UConn sophomore Marci Glenney didn't notice Quinnipiac slowing down.
"There wasn't much they could do because of the talent level, but they played hard," said Glenney, who came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points in 20 minutes.
No. 9 Colorado State 80, Arizona 70: Katie Cronin scored 24 points and Becky Hammon added 23 as the Rams (13-1) overcame a 12-point deficit to beat the Wildcats in Fort Collins, Colo.
Pub Date: 12/28/98