No. 1 Connecticut Overwhelms Georgia

How do you improve on a team that breezed through the women’s Final Four by an average of 30 points a game? Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma had the answer Sunday.

“I think we’re bigger, stronger and quicker than last year,” he said.

It sure looked like it as the top-ranked and defending national champion Huskies opened their season by defeating No. 3 Georgia, 99-70, in the State Farm Tip-off Classic at Hartford, Conn.

All of his starters are back from last year and Auriemma has blended in the talents of one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.

Svetlana Abrosimova had 18 points and 11 assists for the Huskies. She also had four of their 15 steals.

No. 9 Louisiana Tech 85, Rice 54--The Lady Techsters extended their home winning streak to 28 games. Ayana Walker, who scored 23 points, had eight points during a 15-0 run to help Louisiana Tech take a 34-18 lead at halftime.

No. 13 Penn State 99, No. 12 Old Dominion 72--The Lady Lions easily won the other State Farm Tip-off Classic game. Ashley Luke had 13 points and 13 assists to lead Penn State.

No. 15 Virginia 72, George Washington 66--Telisha Quarles led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points at Charlottesville, Va., as The Lady Cavaliers advanced to the quarterfinals of the Preseason NIT.

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The USC men’s team completed its exhibition season with a 102-85 victory over the California Southwest All-Stars at the Lyon Center before an announced crowd of 1,030.

Coach Henry Bibby had an opportunity to evaluate other players besides his starters before the Trojans begin the regular season Saturday against Bradley.

Hoping to settle on an eight- to nine-man rotation, Bibby said USC’s biggest needs are at point guard, power forward and center, and he was looking at freshman guards Robert Hutchinson and George Farmer and sophomore center Kostas Charissis.

Trojan forward Sam Clancy led all scorers with 29 points. Former UCLA player Kris Johnson had 22 for the All-Stars.