No. 9 Connecticut 86, Indiana St. 43

11/14/2005 11:17 PM

By DONNA TOMMELLEO
AP Sports Writer

STORRS, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut picked apart Indiana State's zone defense and Ann Strother took advantage.

Wide open on the wing, the senior guard hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points to lead the ninth-ranked Huskies to an 86-43 win over Indiana State on Monday night in the second round of the Women's NIT.

``I felt like I've been different the first couple of games because I'm really looking to score,'' Strother said. ``It's different when you have a scoring mentality.''

Strother has scored a combined 39 points in UConn's first two games of the tournament. A member of two of UConn's five NCAA title teams, she has moved to third on the all-time list for 3-pointers (211).

``Ann was a great scorer in high school and came here and was kind of content to being something other than that. She needs to get back to being that,'' coach Geno Auriemma said. ``She goes on those binges where she makes everything. As long as teams are going to zone us the way they did tonight, we're going to find her.''

UConn will play former Big East rival Boston College on Thursday. The Eagles, the newest member of the Atlantic Coast Conference advanced with a 62-51 win over Richmond on Sunday. The Huskies are making their third appearance in the WNIT and won the title in both previous appearances (1997, 2001).

Charde Houston added 18 for UConn (2-0). Brittany Hunter, a transfer from Duke, made her first start for the Huskies and had 12 points.

UConn dominated inside and out to put the game away early. Strother had four of UConn's seven first-half 3-pointers, including three in a 28-3 run that blew the game open. The Sycamores went 10 minutes without a field goal in that stretch.

``One of my concerns coming in was not being able to get enough shots,'' Indiana State coach Jim Wiedie said. ``Unfortunately, we haven't figured out that our defense fuels our offense.''

The Huskies led by as many as 34 in the first half and took a 50-21 lead at the break.

The Sycamores (1-1) had no answer for UConn's disruptive defense, which turned 20 Indiana State turnovers into 33 points. The backcourt tandem of Ketia Swanier and Mel Thomas combined for nine assists and four of UConn's 12 steals. Thomas also had 12 points.

``Our defense was exceptional today,'' Hunter said. ``I think that's going to be a really big part of our game. We can pressure teams.''

Inside, the Huskies were just too big and strong for the Sycamores. Barbara Turner grabbed nine boards as UConn outrebounded Indiana State 49-27. The Sycamores were outscored 42-16 in the paint.

Melanie Boeglin finished with 13 points, the only player in double figures for the Sycamores, who shot 26 percent from the field. Teammate Ashley Clark had eight rebounds.

``UConn was just big and there was a lack of confidence on our part,'' Boeglin said. ``You have to respect who you play, but not fear them. We definitely had some players who looked scared to death out there.''