Sarah Strong Leads UConn Past North Carolina to Elite Eight

The superstar forward was one of the only ones who was able to provide consistent points for the UConn Huskies and helped will her team to the next round.

Mar 26, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) during a practice session ahead of the Fort Worth Regional of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies were able to reign victorious over the North Carolina Tar Heels 63-42 in the Elite Eight, but ran into some trouble early. So much so, that the Huskies actually started slow in this game and trailed at the end of the first quarter and led 28-20 at the half.

It seemed like every shot that the Huskies took in the first half just did not want to find the bottom of the net. The Huskies at one point were a measly 5-for-22 from the field and it did not look good for head coach Geno Auriemma's group.

But Strong had a good game for the reigning National Champions as she finished the game with 21 points on 9-of-17 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Strong was one of the only ones on the team who could find a consistent rhythm.

Along with Strong, bench player Blanca Quiñonez also had a nice game for UConn. Quiñonez finished the game with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 2-of-3 from 3-point land. The Huskies really needed somebody to step up outside of Strong and they got that much-needed help from Quiñonez.

Mar 23, 2026; Storrs, CT, USA; UConn Huskies forward Blanca Quinonez (4) shoots a layup against Syracuse Orange center Uche Izoje (44) during the first half of the second round game of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Another Slow Start Could Plauge the Huskies

From the start of the game to the end of the first half, it seemed like UConn could not get a shot to drop for them. And they were lucky that the Tar Heels were shooting worse than them and it seemed like it was going to be a close game the entire way.

But eventually, as the second half came around, the Huskies were able to figure things out and outscored the Tar Heels 35-22 and 20-5 in the third quarter. But if the Huskies want to repeat as national champions, they need to figure out this slow start they've had recently.

A slow start against teams that are better than the Tar Heels, such as UConn's next opponent in Notre Dame, as the tournament goes on, is not going to fly and will hurt them. Auriemma usually has his team ready to play from the opening tipoff, as they are used to blowing out opponents all season long.

But in the matchup with the Tar Heels, something seemed off. UConn was able to get the win as it should have and was overall the better team going into the game and coming out of the game.

But the competition gets better as the tournament goes on and Auriemma is going to want to fix this issue. He, as a head coach, knows better, especially this late in his career.

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