March 18, 2002

By DONNA TOMMELLEO
AP Sports Writer

STORRS, Conn. (AP)- Unbeaten Connecticut got 22 points from Sue Bird and cruised to its 35th straight win, an 86-48 rout of Iowa in the NCAA Mideast Regional on Monday night.

The Huskies (35-0) are headed for their 10th round of 16 and will play Penn State this weekend in their quest for a third NCAA title.

The Hawkeyes (18-11) were making their 14th appearance in the NCAA tournament, the most of any Big 10 team.

It was not just another UConn rout. It was the final game at Gampel Pavilion for senior All-Americans Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams.

The four players finish their career with a 48-home winning streak and a record of 132-9. The seniors made a curtain call after the game, high-fiving fans along the first row.

The Huskies' transition game and stifling defense overpowered the Hawkeyes in the first half and blew them away in the second.

UConn outscored Iowa 34-4 in the first 15 minutes of the second period. The Hawkeyes shot just 22 percent in the second half.

Bird had five of UConn's 13 steals. UConn finished with 11 blocks, led by Jones with four.

Jones, Cash and Williams each had nine rebounds and combined for 36 points, mostly all in the paint. UConn outscored Iowa 54-16 in the lane and finished with a 52-33 edge on the boards

The Huskies' strong post play and defense set the tone early. UConn had nine blocks and seven steals in the first half.

Diana Taurasi finished with 16 for UConn. She had seven points in an 11-0 first-half run. She capped the spurt with her 3-pointer to put the Huskies up 21-9 with 13:12 left in the half.

UConn led by as many as 15 in the first period.

Iowa pulled to within eight on Leah Magner's 3-pointer that cut UConn's lead to 38-30 with 3:16 left. The Huskies closed out the period on an 8-2 run and took a 46-32 lead at the break.

Lindsey Meder led Iowa with 14 points and Jennie Lillis added 11.