FORT WORTH, Texas — If there is anything the UConn Huskies will need the most in order to become the 2026 NCAAW Champions, it will be the play of their BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Blanca Quiñonez.
The 6’2 forward averaged 18 points and 5 rebounds coming off of the bench in Fort Worth Region 1. She set the tone in the Huskies’ Elite 8 matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by scoring 12 of her 20 points in the first quarter.
Defensive disruption from Hannah Hidalgo and the Irish was to be expected as they held standouts Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong to a combined 10 points in the first half. What separated UConn in the end was the depth of their bench. Their secondary unit scored 32 of the team’s 70 points, compared to the 7 points from the bench of the Irish.
In the postgame press conference, Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey Spoke about the depth the Huskies have.
“We wanted to contain Sarah and Azzi, make it a really tough night, but we had to make sure no one else was a factor, and it was. Blanca was a big factor having 20 points, 4 for 8 from the 3-point line. She did a great job. Their supporting cast I felt like did a great job, but she was the X factor for them,” she said.
Strong told reporters after the game that she feels that there is no other team that has a bench like them.
“We can have kind of anyone off the bench step up and change the whole pace of the game. I mean, yeah, [Jana El Alfy], Blanca, [Kayleigh Heckel] did a great job coming in playing their roles with rebounds. Blanca with a little bit of everything [and[ Heckel with defense. I feel like that’s what they do, and I am very happy to have them,” she said.
As a freshman, Quiñonez is getting a wealth of experience that is only going to help her become an even better player as UConn moves on to the Final Four. While the team showed their excitement to be to be moving on to the next round, they still feel like there is more work to be done if they want to become champions once again. In the locker room after the game, Quiñonez told reporters that they still have some things to clean up on the offense.
“I think we just have to find our rhythm, our flow on the offensive side. We just have to keep it up on defense. I think we have been doing a great job on the defensive side, I think that is why this team has [done] everything,” the BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year said.
Quiñonez’s efforts off the bench this season have not gone unrecognized by her teammates. She has the advantage being able to watch and know what is needed of her when her number is called.
Sophomore guard and first year Husky Heckel told reporters that she has been telling Quiñonez everyday how amazing she is. Heckel complimented her teammate’s play this March and stated that she cannot wait to see how that carries over to the Final Four.
“I think she has played outstanding and made some big plays,” Heckel said. “Not even just scoring, she has been doing a lot of things for us. I am just really proud of her especially being a freshman, you can’t even really tell she is a freshman and the way that she has been playing is really awesome.”
UConn is now headed to the Final Four for the 25th time in program history and Quiñonez could not be happier about it.
“I’m just happy. I’m just grateful to be here to share this Final Four with this team and my teammates is something special. We really work hard during the season. I think [there have been] ups and downs, but I’m just really excited and grateful.”
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