BRIDGEPORT, Conn. _ The team that was supposed to drift back to the pack is two victories from another title.
The UConn women's basketball team, winners of 111 consecutive games and five national titles in a row, are heading back the Final Four. The Huskies punched their ticket to Dallas with a 90-52 victory over Oregon before a capacity crowd at Webster Bank Arena Monday night.
UConn (36-0) will make its 10th consecutive Final Four appearance, matching the UCLA men's team.
The Huskies will be bidding for their 12th national title. After losing its top three players from a four-time champion, UConn was expected to be vulnerable this season.
Instead, the team hasn't lost. Oregon (23-14) upset Duke and Maryland en route to the regional final, but the Ducks were no match for the Huskies.
UConn, fueled by an aggressive defense, ran to an early lead and never allowed Oregon to breath. Napheesa Collier, who was named to the Associated Press All-America first team Monday, led the Huskies with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Gabby Williams had 25 points while Kia Nurse and Saniya Chong had 11 points each. Chong, who has emerged as an indispensable player as a senior, converted 3-of-5 3-pointers.
The victory was Geno Auriemma's 113th in the NCAA Tournament, moving him ahead of Tennessee legend Pat Summitt for most tournament wins. It was also the 991st win of his career, third-most in history behind Summitt and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer.
Up next for UConn: Mississippi State, which defeated Baylor in the Oklahoma City regional final Sunday. The Huskies and Bulldogs will meet in the national semifinal Friday night.
The national title game is Sunday.
The Huskies opened a 25-point halftime lead behind stifling defense. The Ducks shot 39.1 percent (9-for-23) and turned the ball over 17 times in the first half.
And UConn made them pay, scoring 28 points off turnovers.
It was 9-4 early when UConn went on a 17-0 run. The spark? Chong, who buried consecutive 3-pointers before Collier's 3-pointer.
Oregon called a timeout 3:21 into the game, trailing by 11. But that didn't stop the UConn run, as the Huskies scored eight unanswered points to make it 23-4.
The run was capped by a steal-and-layup by Chong, who was played one of her best games of season in the regional semifinal win over UCLA on Saturday.
And after a 3-pointer by Oregon's Lexi Bando, UConn added a 3-pointer by Kia Nurse and a jumper by Samuelson. It was a 22-3 run that made it 28-7 late in the first quarter.
The Huskies were out of sorts early in the second quarter before Auriemma send Chong back into the game for freshman Crystal Dangerfield. Chong's rest was over and her return made a difference.
Oregon outscored UConn 8-6 early in the quarter, but the Huskies added more separation with a 13-0 run. Chong's three-pointer capped the run.
It was 49-24 at halftime and the UConn fans were already thinking about Dallas.
