University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Rout EOS Malbas in Exhibition, 104-54
11/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut picked up where it left off last season - blowing away opponents and making it look easy.
The defending national champions tuned up for the season with 104-54 win over EOS Malbas, a club team from Sweden in an exhibition game on Friday.
The Huskies sailed through most of last season beating opponents by an average of more than 30 points, the highest margin in the country.
Svetlana Abrosimova, fresh off the Olympics with the Russian National team, led all scorers with 19 points. Asjha Jones had 17 points and was one of three UConn players with three steals, as the Huskies picked apart the club team and raced out to a 51-24 halftime lead.
EOS Malbas was unable to get a field goal for about a 9-minute stretch in the first half.
UConn scored 47 points off turnovers and dominated inside, getting 50 in the paint. The Huskies opened the second half with an 11-2 lead getting buckets from five different players. Shea Ralph, a front-runner for player of the year, had a team-high six assists.
The game also featured the unfurling of the 2000 NCAA championship banner and the debut of UConn's highly touted freshman class.
Diana Taurasi, the Naismith High School Player of the Year, made an impact right away. She stole the ball within seconds of entering the game, played give-and-go with Abrosimova and finished the break with a jumper. She finished with seven points and three assists.
Freshman Ashley Battle, the top high school player in West Virginia last season, had a game-high 10 rebounds. The Huskies outrebounded the Swedes 52-21.
Anette Percy led EOS Malbas with 16 points.
