UConn Prevails Over UCF

Senior guard Christian Vital (1) shared a game-high point total (18 points)
with junior Isaiah Whaley as the Huskies topped the UCF Knights
on Wednesday night at the XL Center.

HARTFORD—The UConn men’s basketball team earned their first win over UCF in the Dan Hurley era, rolling to an 81-65 triumph over the Knights in an American Athletic Conference contest played before 9,480 fans at the XL Center on Wednesday night. Senior Christian Vital and junior Isaiah Whaley shared the team lead with a game-high 18 points apiece, with Whaley matching a career-best in the category. He also posted a team-high 11 rebounds and two blocked shots, while Vital grabbed seven boards and had a team-leading four steals.

Freshman James Bouknight was the third Husky to finish the game in double figures, chipping in 16 points to go along with his seven rebounds.

Collin Smith led the Knights with 17 points, while Ceasar DeJesus was the only other UCF player to put up double-digit points with 14.

UConn got off to a quick start and held an 11-6 lead at the first media timeout. After UCF scored 10 of the next 12 to surge ahead, the Huskies countered with a 9-0 run to regain a 25-18 advantage. The teams traded baskets over the remainder of the half, with UConn holding a 36-32 lead at the break.

The Husky defense racked up seven steals and scored 11 points off eight UCF turnovers in the second half. Baskets from Alterique Gilbert, Vital and Josh Carlton ignited the Huskies, and a three-point play from Vital capped a 9-0 run that allowed UConn to open up a 58-42 lead.

UCF cut their deficit to 11 following Tony Johnson's pull-up jumper but that's as close as they would get. The home team outscored the Knights 11-5 over the final eight minutes of the frame to come away with the 16-point victory.

With the win, the Huskies improve to 16-12 overall (7-8 in the AAC) while the Knights fall to 14-13 (5-10). Connecticut now heads to Greenville, NC, where they will tangle with the ECU Pirates on Saturday.  Tip-off is at 2 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

—Staff Reports

#uconn #uconnmbb @UconnWBB @UconnHuskies #BleedBlue 

Huskies Romp Over Bearcats 105-58

Christyn Williams matched her career high with 26 points to lead the
Huskies to a 47-point win over Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI—Christyn Williams led all scorers with 26 points—matching her career high—to lead the University of Connecticut over Cincinnati, 105-58, before 5,067 fans at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday night. It was the first time the Huskies have broken the 100-point barrier this season. Megan Walker scored 25 points and freshman Anna Makurat added 20 for No. 6 UConn, which dominated the game from start to finish.

Antoinette Miller led the Cincinnati with 17, and was the only Bearcat to score in double digits.

The Huskies opened slow, hitting just one of their first shots from the field and turning the ball over three times. Connecticut got it together as the period unfolded, however, and after Makurat and Walker each converted traditional three-point plays in the final 66 seconds, UConn had opened a 19-11 lead at the first turn.

Anna Makurat added 20 for the Huskies. It was
her third straight game in double digits.

Cincinnati was only 4 of 17 from the field in the first quarter, and the Bearcats' poor shooting continued into the second period. After Walker and Williams hit back-to-back treys, the Huskies led by 19 with 5:38 remaining in the half, and held a 46-18 advantage at halftime. Walker led the way offensively with 12 points and seven rebounds, but, as is usually the case, it was the Husky D that ruled the roost, holding the Bearcats to just 17.5 percent, and owning the paint with a 20-15 advantage in rebounds, in the first half.

With the win, UConn improves to 24-3 overall, 14-0 in the AAC while the Cincinnati falls to 18-9, 9-5. The Bearcats had won 12 straight home games, one shy of the school record from 2002-03. But continuing the streak was improbable at best vs. Connecticut, which has never lost a game—regular season or postseason championship tournament—as a member of the American Athletic Conference. 

The Bearcats, who fell to 0-23 all-time against the Huskies, lost 80-50 on Jan. 30 at Gampel Pavilion.

The Huskies’ all-time conference record now stands at 134-0. And counting.

 Makurat, the Polish sharpshooter, now has scored 18, 17 and 20 points in her three games for Connecticut.

UConn now travels to the Lone Star State where they will take on Houston on Saturday. The game will be televised live on SNY and streamed on ESPN3. the Huskies walloped the Cougars 91-51 at Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 11.

—Staff Reports

#uconn #uconnwbb @UconnWBB @UconnHuskies #BleedBlue 

Bird Re-Ups With Storm

Sue Bird, one of the greatest players in UConn women's basketball
history, has re-signed with the Seattle Storm--the only team she has
 played with in her 18-year WNBA career.

SEATTLE—Former UConn star Storm Sue Bird, who has played for the Seattle Storm throughout her entire WNBA career, will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Bird, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Storm in the 2002 WNBA Draft, will return to the Pacific Northwest for her 19th season.

“It’s no secret how I feel about the city of Seattle and the Storm franchise,” Bird said in a statement. “I’m a lifer and to be able to re-sign is extremely exciting. I’m looking forward to getting back on the court with my teammates and playing in front of our amazing fans.”

Bird, who played at UConn from 1998-2003 was a member of two national championship teams during her time in Storrs (2000 and 2002). She also has played on four Olympic gold medal winning teams (2004, 2008, 20012 and 2016). A knee injury sidelined the Syosett, NY, native for the entire 2019 season, but anyone who thought Bird’s advanced age—at least in basketball terms (she’s 38)—doesn’t know her. In fact, Bird has already returned to action as a member of Team USA as it prepares for a fifth gold medal run this summer in Tokyo (assume that happens amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Bird is the WNBA's all-time leader in both minutes played and assists.
The surefire first-round future Hall of Famer is also third in three-
pointers, fifth in steals, eighth in points scored and ninth in field goals.

“Hey Storm fans, I’ve got some really surprising news for you… It’s kind of shocking,” the 11-time WNBA All-Star who has also excelled overseas, playing with three Russian Euroleague jokingly Tweeted. “If you’re not already seated, please do that now. OK here we go, I re-signed with the team. So I’ll be back this season.”

Bird is the WNBA’s all-time leader in assists and minutes, and ranks eighth in points (6,154), ninth in field goals (2,247), third in three-pointers (852) and fifth in steals (652).

“The thing about Sue is that she elevates everything she touches to a championship level,” said Storm CEO and general manager Alisha Valavanis. “This is exactly why she is an icon not just for Seattle but for the country, and we are thrilled to have her lead us again.”

The Bird deal comes on the heels of the Storm re-signing another UConn legend, Breanna Stewart. Stewie, who won four national championships with the Huskies and was the WNBA’s MVP in 2018, also missed last season. One can safely assume that with the return of the two Husky immortals in 2020, the Storm will rebound from last year’s 18-16 record and second-round playoff defeat.

The Storm will visit the Mohegan Sun Arena to take on the Connecticut Sun on June 5. The Sun will visit Seattle on May 27.

—Staff Reports

@seattlestorm #BleedBlue #HuskyNation #UConn @UConn #SueBird @sbird10

KLM Coming Home

Former UConn star Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is
coming back to Connecticut after being acquired
by the Connecticut Sun from the Seattle Storm
today. The Sun gave up their second round draft
pick in the 2021 draft.

UNCASVILLE—The Connecticut Sun announced today that the team has acquired 2018 WNBA

champion and former University of Connecticut All-America selection, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from the Seattle Storm. In return, the Storm receive the Sun’s 2021 second round draft pick. The veteran guard helped lead the Storm to a WNBA Championship in 2018. She averaged a career-high 42 percent from the three-point line during the title run. Over the last two seasons, the 5-11 shooter is connecting on 38 percent from behind the arc and has scored 339 points as well as connecting on 96 percent of her attempts from the freethrow line.

In 2015, Mosqueda-Lewis was selected third overall in the WNBA draft by Seattle. Over the course of her five-year career with the Storm, she has appeared in 141 games, scored 745 points, tallied 125 three-pointers and has grabbed 155 rebounds. She recorded her career-high 19 points against the San Antonio Stars in 2015. She grabbed a career-high six rebounds last season against the Phoenix Mercury on June 30 and has connected on four three-pointers in a game on three different occasions.

“I’m really excited to start a new journey in Connecticut,” Mosqueda-Lewis said. “It was a second home for me for four years and I’m looking forward to being back!”

Mosqueda-Lewis entered the WNBA following a decorated collegiate career. The former Husky helped lead her team to three straight national championships from 2013-15. Upon graduation she finished as the NCAA’s Division I all-time leader for three-pointers made (398) and third on the program’s all-time scoring list with 2,178 points. During her time at Connecticut, she earned a spot on both the USWBA and WBCA All-America teams, was named to the AP Second Team twice and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. During her senior year, she was also selected to the American Athletic Conference (AAC) First Team and was honored as the Most Outstanding Performer.

At UConn, Mosqueda-Lewis earned Big East All-Freshman Team honors as well as being named Second Team, Sixth Woman of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

“We are excited to add Kaleena to our talented roster,” head coach and general manager Curt Miller said. “She has won championships at every level and has a reputation as a great teammate. Our offensive philosophy revolves around spacing with players that can help spread the floor. KML is one of the outstanding shooters in our game and will provide an important spark to our offense.” 

The Sun open the 2020 WNBA campaign at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 16 vs. the New York Liberty. For tickets and information, visit ConnecticutSun.com.

—Staff Reports

Sea Unicorns Announce Military All-Star Nominations

NORWICH—The Norwich Sea Unicorns, Class-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and the Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut are proud to announce that the nomination process for the 2020 CT Military All-Stars promotion is now open and will run through July 10. The seventh annual promotion will honor nine current or former military personnel prior to Military Appreciation Night at Dodd Stadium on Friday, Aug. 14.

2020 will be the eighth consecutive season that the annual Military Appreciation Night will be presented by the Better Business Bureau Military Line which provides free services, consumer education and other resources for military families, to assist them during and after deployment. The nine honorees will be selected from the pool of nominations by a panel of community judges and will be honored on the field prior to the game. In addition, the first 1,000 fans through the gates on Aug. 14 will receive a baseball card set featuring these heroes.

Nominations representing all branches of the military are welcome. The submission form can be found online by visiting goseaunicorns.com/military. Fans can also pick up a nomination form and submit their nomination in person at Dodd Stadium at the Dime Bank Information Booth during Tigers games or in the front office during regular business hours through July 10.

In addition to the CT Military All-Stars ceremonies, the Sea Unicorns will be wearing specially designed and military themed jerseys during the game on August 14. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game. The proceeds will go towards a scholarship for a military family through the BBB Military Line.

Formerly known as the Connecticut Tigers, the Norwich Sea Unicorns are the New York-Penn League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut. 2020 season memberships for "The Captains Club", mini plans, and team merchandise are now on sale! The 2020 season at Dodd Stadium kicks off on Sunday, June 21 at 7:05 pm with fireworks after the game. The front office and box office are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday and can be accessed in person or by calling 860-887-7962.

—Staff Reports

#milb @milb @nypennleague @TheNYPL