Three-time defending NCAA champion Connecticut leads Oregon State 47-26 at halftime. Here's a look at the first half.
How the half was won: Connecticut came out blistering from the field, making six of its first nine shots and hitting 71 percent from the field in the first quarter. Oregon State looked a little confused on both ends of the floor in the first few minutes and it cost the Beavers. They fell behind 23-8 and, despite trimming the lead to nine points on two occasions, were in a hole that looks even bigger when UConn is on the other side.
Player of the half: Morgan Tuck. Oregon State made a concerted effort to bottle up Breanna Stewart. That part worked. Stewart finished with just two points on 1-of-2 shooting. However, Tuck went off for 16, hitting 6-for-10 from the field.
Player of the half II: UConn senior point guard Moriah Jefferson played her usual steady floor game. Despite being a little frustrated with some officiating decisions, she stayed calm running the offense. She finished with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and three assists. Her second assist moved her ahead of Dianna Taurasi for first on UConn's all-time list.
Turning point: Tuck hit her second 3-pointer with 2:42 left in the first quarter, putting UConn up 23-8. Oregon State would creep closer, but that shot put a stamp on the Huskies' opening-quarter dominance.
Stat of the half: Stewart picked up two quick fouls and wasn't much of a part of the offense at all. She managed to play 18 minutes with those two fouls. Her only field goal came with three minutes left in the half.
Stat of the half II: Oregon State allows an average of 51 points per game. UConn scored 47 in the first half.
Three things Connecticut needs to do to win:
1. Keep defending. Kia Nurse served as the UConn defense's Swiss Army knife, defending Sydeny Wiese and Jamie Weisner on different possessions and keeping them off balance. The Huskies switched defenses constantly and that kept the Beavers to 36 percent shooting.
2. Get Stewart more involved. Things worked out just fine with the three-time Final Four MOP not doing much, but Stewart could put a stamp on this one with a more typical second half.
3. Be UConn. This wasn't a perfect Huskies' first half, but they were pretty close to doing most of what they wanted to, sans Stewart's performance. If Tuck and Jefferson are this good offensively, and the combo of Gabby Williams and Kia Nurse are as good as they were defensively, the Huskies will cruise.
Three things Oregon State needs to do to win:
1. Stay aggressive. The Beavers avoided getting blown out early by settling down on offense and letting Wiese and Weisner attack more. Those were their best moments.
2. Take better care of the ball. No one can turn over the ball 13 times in a half and expect to beat UConn.
3. Forget the scoreboard. Oregon State can't make up a 21-point deficit quickly. The Beavers need to stay their course and play like the game is scoreless.