UConn Opener: Quiñonez Returns After Shoulder Surgery in 100-35 Win

Blanca Quiñonez played 14 minutes and 43 seconds on Monday evening as the UConn women’s basketball team defeated Cornell 100-35. It was her first appearance since April, marking the end of a long recovery from May shoulder surgery. The forward from Ecuador took the court with 5:50 remaining in the first quarter.

Quiñonez finished the game with four points on 1-for-4 shooting, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two fouls. She was limited to a specific number of minutes by the coaching staff. Despite the light stat line, her presence completed the top of the roster for the first time this season.

The trio of Quiñonez, Sarah Strong, and Jovana Popovic took the floor together for the first time. Strong and Popovic each scored 19 points and sat out the final quarter. The Huskies built a large lead early, trailing 3-2 before taking a 23-3 advantage. The score was 46-13 at halftime after Cornell made a couple of late three-pointers.

Head coach Geno Auriemma noted that the team is still acclimating Quiñonez to the speed of the game. He said the long journey back from injury is evident in her play. "It's been a long, long, long journey for her," Auriemma said. "As you see, the things she was so good at last year, you saw some of those things. And the things we're trying to slow her down a little bit, you saw some of the rushed stuff. That will change."

Quiñonez expressed happiness at being back on the court with her teammates. "Just to be part of it was pretty cool," she said. "I'm pretty happy to be back. There's definitely a lot of work to do, but I'm really happy to be able to share the court again with my teammates and share with the fans. It was a good time."

The opener served as a physical test rather than a competitive challenge. The Huskies closed the game on a 30-2 run. Ten UConn players played at least 13 minutes. The team will face a tougher opponent on Thursday at No. 5 Michigan.

Quiñonez averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and two steals last season. She shot 53.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent on three-pointers. She was named Big East freshman of the year and sixth woman of the year while missing eight games due to the same shoulder injury.

Auriemma stated he would not be surprised if Quiñonez becomes a first-team All-American this season. UConn has had two first-team All-Americans eight times in program history. The Huskies will host No. 10 Iowa on Sunday at the newly renamed M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion.

The upcoming schedule includes trips to Ohio State and Louisville. UConn will also play top-ranked South Carolina at Mohegan Sun. Auriemma said Quiñonez provides a different dimension to the team. "When she and Sarah are on the floor together, there's a lot of chemistry between the two of them," he said.