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| Gabby Williams (16 points) led the way for the Huskies in their 66-55 win over sixth-ranked South Carolina. |
It’s official: UConn women’s basketball is the greatest
program in the history college athletics.
Period.Last night, the Huskies won their 100th straight game—a resounding 66-55 win over No. 6 South Carolina—before a raucous sell-out crowd at Gampel Pavilion and a national television audience on ESPN2.
Want proof of the opening statement? Try these on for size.
During the current streak, the Huskies have:* 15 wins over Top 10 teams
In addition, they have:
* 11 straight 30-win seasons
* Two streaks including 90-or-more straight wins
* 873 straight games without back-to-back losses
* 6 of the 12 longest winning streaks in NCAA women’s basketball history
And let us not forget that the Huskies have not lost since
Nov. 17, 2014—an overtime loss to Stamford in Palo Alto, Calif.
Did I say period?Ironically, everyone watching the game at home got a little gypped on this one. The Deuce cut to the UConn-SC game a little late because Texas-Florida State game went into double overtime. No. 11 Texas emerged the winner—92-88—the 19th straight win for the Longhorns. And to put the Huskies’ streak in perspective, that 19 straight is the second-longest current winning streak in women’s college basketball.
As hard as it might seem to believe, the Huskies down 29-28 with 1:57 remaining in the half. But a 7-0 run to end the first half sent UConn into the locker room leading 35-29 at intermission—and they never looked back.
Gabby Williams who, though just a junior is a leading
candidate for the John Wooden National Player of the Year Award, led the charge
with 16 points and nine boards at halftime. Going into the game, she had 30
blocks, 63 steals and 129 assists.
“They made a couple of threes that changed everything,
obviously,” said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma in deference to his
competition. “Their two big kids are just too big for us; we can’t handle them.
And [South Carolina] has done a pretty good job, but they still only have 29
points. So our defense was pretty good, and for us to have 35 points... They’re
really physical with her, so we’ve just got to be a little more patient, and
running her more off screens.”Because of the Gamecock’s size, the Huskies were forced to play far more zone than they are accustomed to in the first half. And that didn’t bode particularly well for Connecticut. But midway through the second period, with the game still very much competitive, Auriemma showed why he is in the Hall-of-Fame by shrinking the court—that is, leaving selected Gamecock players unguarded in order to focus on 6-5 junior forward A’ja Wilson. The results were immediate. The Huskies also sandbagged the zone, which they had played throughout most of the first two periods, for their acclaimed man-to-man defense.
“[South Carolina] has done a much better job against zones this year,” said ESPN commentator and UConn women’s basketball legend Rebecca Lobo. “UConn went back to a man-to-man in the last three minutes; that’s when they went on their 7-0 run.”
The biggest negative for the Huskies in the first half was the play of Katie Lou Samuelson, who was held scoreless in the first half.
“Whoever’s coaching Lou is doing a really bad job,” said Auriemma, sardonically. “I coached her last game when she could miss anything.”
Samuelson, the Huskies’ leading scorer, missed her first eight shots before finally got her first points—on a 15-foot jumper—with 6:54 left in the third quarter. It was her ninth attempt. She came in averaging 21.4 points, but finished with just six points, going 2-for-12 from the floor.
After a competitive first half, UConn pulled away in the third period. The Gamecocks cut the deficit to 40-37 midway through the third quarter, but consecutive layups by Williams started an 11-2 run to close the period. That allowed the Huskies to take a commanding 51-39 lead heading into the fourth. Needless to say, they never looked back.
“I need to stop trying to be somebody I’m not,” said Williams, who scored 26 points and also added 14 boards and four steals to her stat line. “I just have to play the game I know how to play, because that’s what I do best. I get my points off defensive stops. This crowd, this energy is really something special. I’m just happy to be here.”
“Our team did a good job with doubling and forcing them the way that we wanted them to go instead of the way they like… things like that,” added sophomore forward Napheesa Collier, who added 18 points for the Huskies.
The question now is will this team ever lose again? Consider that this was thought to be a “transition year” for the Huskies.
Last season, the top three overall picks in the WNBA Draft were from Connecticut (Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck). Next year, the Huskies will add transfers Azura Stevens, a 6-6 superstar in waiting, who averaged 16.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in two seasons at Duke, along with Batouly Camara, a 6-2 forward from Kentucky. Both will be sophomores next season, with three years of eligibility remaining. And let us not forget Megan Walker, the top-ranked high school senior in the country from North Chesterfield, Va., as well as three other high-profile incoming freshman—Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Lexi Gordon, and Mikayla Coombs. You know that quote from Auriemma about UConn losing not being a matter of “if,” but only ‘”when”? Well, if he keeps recruiting like this, that next loss will likely come after Geno retires.
“I hope we can focus on the season and what's coming up next and whatever's in store for this team,” said Auriemma after the game. “Let's get it over with and move onto the next thing which is more important in the big scheme of things for these players anyway.
“This 100-win streak isn't theirs but if they win a national championship… that's all theirs,” he continued. “That means a lot more if we're able to do that down the road.”
The Huskies will look to extend their historic streak on Saturday when they travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on SNY and streamed on ESPN3.
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