HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)– Breanna Stewart scored 25 points and top-ranked UConn routed Kansas State 97-57 on Monday night, the 30th anniversary of Geno Auriemma’s first game as head coach of the Huskies.
Gabby Williams added 16 points and 12 rebounds, helping give Auriemma his 919th win.
Stewart became the ninth player in school history to reach 2,000 points with a 3-pointer from the right corner in the third quarter. She now has 2,009 for her career, moving past Renee Montgomery (1,990) and Bria Hartley (1,994).
Kaylee Page and Kindred Wesemann each had 11 to lead Kansas State (3-1).
UConn, which is seeking its fourth straight national championship, has won 39 straight games.
The Huskies shot just under 51 percent from the floor and held Kansas State to 34 percent.
Morgan Tuck had 15 points and Moriah Jefferson had 14 points and seven assists.
Jefferson (1,102 points) also is moving up the scoring list, becoming the 37th Husky to reach the 1,100-point plateau.
Stewart moved into 10th place on the school’s scoring list with her fourth point, a layup that gave the Huskies an early 12-5 lead. A third quarter free throw put her in ninth place.
Kansas State’s Breanna Lewis, who had been averaging 18 points and six rebounds, picked up two early fouls guarding Stewart. She finished with 10 points.
The Wildcats hit three of their first five shots from 3-point range and hung with the Huskies early, trailing just 16-13 with 3:24 left in the first quarter.
But UConn responded by scoring the final 10 points of the quarter and the first four points of the second. Williams had eight of the Huskies’ 14 points during that spurt.
Williams had her seventh career double-double before halftime, scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds as the Huskies took a 44-27 lead into intermission.
Kia Nurse quickly pushed the lead to 20 in the third quarter on with a 3-pointer, and it was 30 points a few minutes later after a jumper from Moriah Jefferson.
Auriemma’s first win came on Nov. 23, 1985, 73-67 at Iona. The Huskies won their first seven games that year, but finished the season 12-15. Since then, Auriemma has led the Huskies to 10 national titles, 16 Final Fours, 21 regular-season conference championships and 20 conference tournament titles.
The Huskies improve to 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats. Their only other meeting was in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, a 72-26 blowout.
Stewart becomes the third fastest Husky to reach 2,000 points, doing it in her 117th game. Maya Moore needed just 108 games, and Kerry Bascom accomplished the feat in 113.
