STORRS, Conn. – Connecticut showed no rust from having the last 12 days off.

Tina Charles scored 32 points and Renee Montgomery added 19 – all in the first half – to help the top-seeded Huskies rout No. 16 seed Vermont 104-65 on Sunday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Florida 70, Temple, 57

STORRS, Conn. – Sha Brooks scored 18 points and eighth-seeded Florida beat Temple (21-10) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Minnesota 79, Notre Dame 71

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame’s home-court advantage was no match for Minnesota’s 3-point shooting and strong rebounding.

The Gophers started the game by making 11 of 13 shots and opened a 14-point first-half lead, then used timely 3-point shooting to hold off Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Texas A&M 80, Evansville 45

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -Texas A&M’s smothering defense was too much for upstart Evansville.

The Aggies forced a season-high 30 turnovers, leading to 43 points, and Danielle Gant scored 21 to lead Texas A&M over the Purple Aces in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Utah 60, Villanova 30

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Sent clear across the country to play in the NCAA tournament, Kalee Whipple and Utah figured they might as well extend their stay.

Whipple had 15 points and eight rebounds, all the while playing tough defense on Villanova star Laura Kurz, and the Utes overwhelmed the poor-shooting Wildcats in a first-round game of the Raleigh Regional.

Maryland 82, Dartmouth 53

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland’s opening game in the NCAA tournament can best be summed up by the halftime score: Kristi Toliver 23, Dartmouth 23.

Toliver finished with 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting, and the third-ranked Terrapins extended their winning streak to 13.

Michigan St. 60, Middle Tennessee 59

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State stymied the nation’s leading scorer just in time.

Alysha Clark scored 34 points but none in the last 11-plus minutes and fouled out with 1 minutes left.

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