Aaliyah Edwards scored 23 points and Paige Bueckers made her long-awaited return from injury as No. 2 UConn opened its season Wednesday with a 102-58 rout of Dayton.
It was Bueckers’ first game since the Huskies loss to South Carolina in the 2022 national championship game. She scored eight points in 21 minutes while on a coach-imposed minutes restriction. She also had seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.
Azzi Fudd had 13 points for UConn (1-0). Aubrey Griffin added 12, Qadence Samuels scored 11 and Nika Muhl and Caroline Ducharme each added 10.
Ivy Wolf had 16 points to lead Dayton (0-1). The Flyers are coached by former UConn star Tamika Williams-Jeter, who won two national titles playing for the Huskies in 2000 and 2002
NO. 13 TEXAS 80, SOUTHERN 35
Rori Harmon, who was picked by the conference coaches as the Big 12 preseason player of the year, had eight points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Texas (1-0), which has won its last 11 home openers. Madison Booker, selected as the Big 12 preseason freshman of the year, added seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Southern (0-1) finished 14 of 48 from the field (29%), including 2 of 12 from 3-point range, with 22 turnovers. Ten Jaguars played, but none scored more than seven points.
NO. 15 STANFORD 87, HAWAII 40
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Kiki Iriafen had career highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead Stanford to a win over Hawaii in the season opener for both teams.
Freshman Nunu Agara added 18 points in her debut while Brooke Demetre had 12 and Elena Bosgana 10 as the Cardinal (1-0) won their 25th straight home opener.
Hawaii (0-1) shot 22% and Brooklyn Rewers scored eight points.
NO. 16 NORTH CAROLINA 102, GARDNER-WEBB 49
CHAPLE HILL, N.C. (AP) — Indya Nivar had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead a trio of transfers with impressive debuts and North Carolina beat Gardner-Webb in the season opener for both teams.
Joining Nivar with a double-double was Alyssa Ustby, who had 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
Lexi Donarski, a graduate transfer from Iowa State, and Maria Gakdeng, a junior who came from Boston College, scored 14 and 13 points, respectively. All five North Carolina (1-0) starters scored in double figures with Deja Kella adding 14. Sophomore Paulina Paris had 15 points off the bench.
Micahia Funderburk led the Bulldogs (0-1) with 16 points and Ashley Hawkins had 14.
NO. 20 COLORADO 97, LE MOYNE 38
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Maddie Nolan and Frida Formann scored 15 points apiece, Aaronette Vonleh added a 13 points and 11 rebounds and Colorado (2-0) followed up its season-opening win over No. 1 LSU with a rout of Le Moyne.
Sarah-Rose Smith, a senior transfer from Missouri, came off the bench to score 10 points for Colorado.
Lytoya Baker scored 18 points for the Dolphins (0-2), who went 3 of 19 from 3-point range and shot 30% overall.
