Blanca Quiñonez Leads UConn to Elite Eight Win Over Notre Dame

The freshman off the bench tallied 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and was a major reason why the Huskies moved on to the Final Four.

Mar 29, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UConn Huskies guard Blanca Quinonez (4) scores a basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Head coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies are headed to their 25th Final Four as they defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 70-52 in the Elite Eight. The Huskies now swept the Fighting Irish after going 2-0 against them this season.

The Huskies had a lot of shooting woes, especially in the third quarter, where it was 38-30 Huskies for a long period of time. But freshman Blanca Quinonez was able to provide a spark for Auriemma's group that really needed it.

Blanca Quiñonez finished the game with 20 points, and it felt like every time she would shoot the ball, it would find the bottom of the net. Quiñonez knocked down four of her eight 3-point attempts and was incredible in this game.

The Huskies' usual starters struggled in this one for a bit as KK Arnold, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong shot 11-of-31 from the field. But with Quinonez doing what she did amidst a rough day for the usual suspects that get things done for UConn, it was much needed.

Mar 29, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cassandre Prosper (8) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

UConn is going to have their hands full if South Carolina beats TCU

The Huskies won the national championship last season over the South Carolina Gamecocks and the two could meet in the Final Four this year. After the Huskies reigned victorious over the Fighting Irish, they will now await the winner of the Gamecocks versus the TCU Horned Frogs.

And knowing how much recent history there is between Auriemma and Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, they would be in for a good matchup. The Huskies have gone undefeated all year long and they now stand at 38-0.

The Gamecocks are currently 34-3 and have, along with the Huskies, been one of the league's best teams and are the number one seed in Regional 4. It seemed like this was going to be a Final Four matchup when the bracket was made.

And the Gamecocks are currently favored by 14 points over the Horned Frogs in their Elite Eight matchup on March 30. Every basketball fan remembers last year's national championship Game when former Huskies superstar Paige Bueckers had a legacy game.

And even with Bueckers having moved on to the WNBA, the Huskies are still loaded with firepower like the Gamecocks are. The Huskies have been getting major contributions from Fudd and Strong all year and now with Quiñonez in the mix, the Gamecocks will have their hands full if this matchup happens.

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