No. 2 Connecticut didn’t need much time to defeat Oregon State, as a devastating first-half run led to a 71-52 win Monday in Nassau, Bahamas.

The Huskies scored 19 straight points in seven minutes of the first half in their Baha Mar Championship first-round game. Oregon State made a statement in the second half by outscoring the Huskies 33-29.

AJ Marotte scored 17 points and Kelsey Rees added 10 as the Beavers (1-5) lost their fourth straight game. Rees also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. OSU had a shooting percentage of 44% (20 of 45) but struggled against UConn’s pressure and committed 24 turnovers.

Paige Bueckers hit 9 of 13 shots and scored 23 points to lead Connecticut. The Huskies (5-0) were efficient offensively and had 25 assists on 28 baskets.

Oregon State will face loser Boston College-Mississippi in the Baha Mar consolation game on Wednesday.

Oregon State never led in the game. Catarina Ferreira hit a three-pointer to cut UConn’s lead to 12-7 seven minutes into the game. But UConn ended the first quarter with a 10-0 run and led by 15.

The Huskies continued to sprint and scored the first nine points of the second quarter to take a 31-7 lead. UConn led 42-19 at halftime.

Connecticut led by as many as 29 points in the second half, but OSU had some good moments. The Beavers shot 57% (13 of 23) in the final two quarters, including 4 of 7 from three-point range.

The Beavers’ best performance came in the fourth quarter when they outscored UConn 21-16. OSU made eight of its 10 shots during the quarter, including two three-pointers from Marotte. The Beavers finished the game with a 9-0 run.

–Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, [email protected] or @nickdaschel.

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