The Penn State Nittany Lions offense had been on fire for the entire 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Of course they hadn’t played a stifling defense like the UConn Huskies possess.

UConn's Bria Hartley led her team with 20 points in the NCAA Sweet 16 game against Penn State at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island.After a fast start, the Huskies let the Nittany Lions into the game. But tough defense and 11-0 run gave the Huskies control of the game on their way to a 77-59 win at the Ryan Center in Kingston, RI on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Huskies (32-4) move on to the Elite Eight where they’ll face the Kentucky Wildcats. The Nittany Lions finish up the season at 26-7.

Bria Hartley led five Huskies in double figures with 20 points and she also had four assists. Kelly Faris chipped in with 15 points, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists while Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Tiffany Hayes and Stefanie Dolson rounded out the Huskies in double digits with 10 points each.

Mia Nickson paced Penn State with 19 points and pulled down five rebounds. Caroline Doty’s best friend from home, Maggie Lucas, had a tough shooting night (4-16) but had with 15 points and three assists. Talia East led the Nittany Lions with 10 rebounds to go along with her six points.

Here are the highlights from the game:

UConn Huskies vs Penn State Nittany Lions 2012 Sweet 16 box score

UConn Huskies postgame press conference video

Penn State Nittany Lions postgame press conference video

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Photo credit: Cloe Poisson – Hartford Courant (No. 25 in gallery)