BRIDGEPORT, Conn. _ Three wins down, three to go.
The undefeated and No. 1 ranked UConn women's basketball team completed its third step in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, earning an 86-71 victory over UCLA before a capacity crowd at Webster Bank Arena. The Huskies (35-0) are three victories from their 12th national title and fifth in a row.
UConn, winners of 110 games in a row, will face underdog Oregon in the regional final Monday night. Oregon, the 10th seed, advanced with a victory over Maryland.
The Huskies beat Maryland by six points in December and the Terrapins figures to pose a challenge for UConn. Instead, UConn enters Monday as a heavy favorite.
It's UConn's 11th consecutive trip to the regional final. The Huskies have advanced to nine consecutive Final Fours.
The victory Saturday was Geno Auriemma's 112th in the NCAA Tournament. That ties him with Pat Summitt for most in NCAA history.
And by extending the winning streak to 110, UConn moved past the Penn State volleyball team's winning streak that is among the longest in NCAA Division I history. The longest Division I streak among team sports is believed to be a 137-match streak by the Miami men's tennis team (1957-64).
UConn was led by Napheesa Collier, who had 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Gabby Williams had 17 points while Saniya Chong had 16 points and Katie Lou Samuelson 15.
UCLA got 20 points from point guard Jordin Canada. Monique Billings had 17 points and 16 rebounds, and Kari Korver had 15 points.
The Bruins (25-9) hung tight with UConn, outscoring the Huskies 21-17 in the third quarter before keeping pace in the fourth quarter. UConn was unable to turn the game into a blowout as the Bruins made shots throughout the second half.
After witnessing Oregon's surprising win over No. 3 seed Maryland in the early game Saturday, the decidedly pro-UConn crowd of 8,830 may have been anxious in the early going. Another upset-minded Pac-12 school was going toe-to-toe with a favorite, at least for a few minutes.
UCLA reeled off seven unanswered points and led 9-2 just 3 minutes into the game. UConn was 1-for-8 shooting and seemed out of synch at both ends of the floor.
But Kia Nurse, coming off a 29-point performance that featured an NCAA Tournament record nine 3-pointers, sparked the UConn rise with a 3-pointer. The Huskies would go on a 20-4 run and led 22-13 after the first quarter.
The spurt included late 3-pointers by Saniya Chong and Nurse, who deked a defender along the arc and connected on the shot.
In the second quarter, UConn made 11-of-15 shots (73.3 percent) and expected the lead to 48-31. The Huskies had a 15-3 run early in the quarter to boost their lead to 19 points and it seemed UConn was putting the game away.
But the team put on a 3-point contest late in the half. Kari Korver hit consecutive 3-pointers for UCLA while Collier and Samuelson responded with their own 3s.
UCLA's Paulina Hersler converted one final 3-pointer before the half and UConn took a 48-31 lead into the intermission.
The Huskies maintained their lead throughout the third quarter, although UCLA's 7-0 run late made it a 12-point game. But Chong broke that run with a 3-pointer before Canada's basket made it 65-52.
