2010–11 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team is currently representing the University of Connecticut
in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies are coached by Geno Auriemma
, and play their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut
, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
in Storrs, Connecticut
. The Huskies are a member of the Big East Conference
and will attempt to win their eighth NCAA championship. The UConn team has won the last two national championships, and has won 90 consecutive games.
earning a number one vote in the AP poll, and Baylor, Stanford
, and Tennessee
earning first place votes in the coaches poll.
, who suffered an ACL injury in July, and will be out for the entire season.
Jackie Fernandes is one of the seniors who graduated last year
and is no longer with the team. Fernandes averaged six minutes a game during the 2009–10 season. She was the high school teammate of Heather Buck, who will be a redshirt
, after sitting out one year for development. Kaili McLaren played twelve minutes a game for the Huskies in the previous season, and has moved on to a professional basketball career with Apollon Ptolemaidos in Greece. Meghan Gardler graduated as well, after a career with UConn that saw her minutes increase each year, playing over thirteen minutes a game as a senior. Kalana Greene
was a starting guard, playing almost 26 minutes per game and averaging eleven points per game. Greene was the 13th selection in the WNBA draft, where she was selected by and plays for the New York Liberty
. The final graduating senior was Tina Charles
who was selected as the overall number one draft pick by the Connecticut Sun
. Charles won a number of awards, including both Naismith and AP Player of the Year.
Joining the team were five freshmen: Stephanie Dolson from Port Jervis, New York, Lauren Englen from Laguna Hills California, Michala Johnson from Bellwood Illinois, and Samarie Walker from West Carrolton, Ohio.
by a score of 100–41. Two of the freshman stood out at the IUP game, when Samarie Walker scored 22 points and Bria Hartey scored 18.
. Uconn prevailed easily, winning by an 80 point margin, 117–37.
The second game was a match up between the top two rated teams in the country. UConn had beaten Baylor in the previous season NCAA semifinal game, but in that game, Baylor center Brittney Griner was a freshman, and faced the senior, AP Player of the year, Tina Charles. This year, Griner would be more experienced, and UConn had replaced the veteran Charles with a freshman, Stephanie Dolson. The game started with a moderate advantage for Baylor, who lead by five points early, with scores of 8–3 and 10–5. Then UConn took over and extended the lead, reaching a fifteen point margin early in the second half 44–29. Baylor did not fold, and went on a 27–4 run to retake the lead, and extend it to eight points. UConn responded, with Bria Hartley scoring eight points in the last four minutes, and held on for a 65–64 victory. The victory extended the UConn winning streak to 80 consecutive games.
Five days later, on November 21, the Huskies traveled to Georgia Tech, a game scheduled so that Maye Moore could play near where she had been a high school star. 7,325 fans showed up at the arena, setting a school record for attendance at a women's basketball game. Moore scored 30 points before coming out of the game to a standing ovation. The game would mark the 81st consecutive victory, tying consecutive wins record for NCAA basketball help by Washington University.
After the conference opener against South Florida, UConn played another perennial non-conference opponent, Sacred Heart University
, and won easily, 86–32, to stretch the winning streak to 86 games.
86–25, to set the new record consecutive win streak for NCAA women's basketball at 82 games. UConn then went on to beat the other two opponents in the Classic, Lehigh
and LSU
in Madison Square Garden as Part of the Maggie Dixon Classic, an annual event in honor of Maggie Dixon
, the head coach of the Army
team who passed away at the age of 28. A crowd of 15,232 witnessed UConn win 81–50 to tie the record of 88 consecutive wins set by UCLA in 1974.
. After playing Sacred Heart, their second Big East opponent was Marquette, who came to the UConn campus but lost 79–47.
a Walker transferred to the University of Kentucky
24 January 2011
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Exhibition
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Big East
in 2001. Georgetown's Sugar Rogers scored eight consecutive points in the second half to cut the UConn lead to eleven, but UConn went on to win 59–43.
The meeting would be the first Big East Championship match up of the two teams since the 2001 Big East Championship, a game described by Jeff Goldberg as "the best women's basketball game ever played" in Bird at the Buzzer (ISBN 9780803224117).
Notre Dame jumped out to an early 6–2 lead, but UConn quickly responded and took an 11–8 lead. Then Notre Dame came back, and pushed the score to a seven point lead, 20–13, forcing UConn coach Auriemma to a rare timeout. The lead went back-and-forth, with UConn holding on to a slim one point lead 32–31 at halftime. In the second half, UConn slowly pushed the margin to twelve points with just under thirteen minutes to go, but Notre Dame chipped away at the lead, and cut it to three points, with just over five minutes remaining. Stephanie Dolson and Maya Moore each made two point baskets over the next three minutes, while Notre Dame only scored four points.The Huskies won the game, 73–64, while using only six players in the rotation.
Moore was voted the Most Outstanding player of the tournament, but some felt that Stephanie Dolson deserved the honors. One of those who felt Dolson should have won was Moore herself, who said, "I wanted to tell Stefanie to go get [the award]". Dolson scored 60 points in the three tournament games, a UConn freshman record.
, had played UConn on six prior occasions, but each of those games were at the downtown Hartford XL Center. This was the first meeting between the two teams on the campus location where Rizzotti helped lead the UConn team to their first National Championship. Despite the emotional significance, Rizzotti was focused on her team, more than the location or the game outcome. The Hartford team had struggled early in the season, winning only one of their first ten games. They played much better later in the season, and won the America East
conference tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. Rizzotti took timeouts late in the game to allow her seniors to least their last game to strong ovations. The game was won by UConn 75–39, with balanced scoring by the UConn starters.
This was the final game at the home court for seniors Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon. While Dixon did not score in the game, the shortest player on the floor at 5' 4" had a block for the last play of her game at her home arena. Both Moore and Dixon completed a college career without a single loss at home.
wrote, "on Sunday, Dixon had the biggest impact". Dixon's coach, Geno Auriemma
said, "What Lorin did for us tonight was unbelievably important."
UConn and Georgetown were meeting for the third time this season. UConn won a close, ten point game in Georgetown during the regular season, and met again in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. The final margin of that game wasn't as close, but Georgetown held Maya Moore to six points, one of her rare performances with less than double-digit scoring. UConn ended the first half with a rare deficit, and Georgetown build the lead to a seven point margin 53-46, late in the second half. One of Auriemma's assistants suggested removing the 6' 5" center, Stephanie Dolson, and going with a smaller lineup including Dixon.
After a three pointer by Bria Hartley, Dixon stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a contested layup. On the next possession, Dixon stole the ball again, and passed to Hartley for a layup to tie the score. Less than a minute later, Dixon made a third steal, this time pulling up for a two point jump shot. After a two point jump shot by Moore, Dixon made yet another steal. Moore was fouled, and went to the line, completing a 13-0 run by the Huskies, with Dixon central to almost all of the points. Georgetown did not quit, and would score ten more points in the last four plus minutes of the game, but two more baskets by Moore, each assisted by Dixon, helped seal the win for UConn.
regular season and tournament championship. Duke had the second highest RPI
in the country.
The game started out in UConn's favor, with UConn jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Unlike the earlier matchup, when UConn extended the lead to 23-2 before Duke scored again, Duke responded. While they were unable to take the lead, the margin was only three points with two and a half minutes to go in the first half. UConn then scored seven straight points, including a basket by Maya Moore as time was expiring to extend the lead to ten points. UConn opened up the second half with a 13-2 run, extended the lead to 29 almost halfway through the second period, and coasted to a 75-40 victory and a place in the Final Four.
With just under four minutes remaining in the game, Moore hit a two point jumper to give her 28 points for the game, and a total of 3000 for her career, just the seventh player in NCAA division I women's basketball history to reach the 3,000 point plateau.
Moore was named the Regional Most Outstanding Player. She was also named to the All-Tournament team, along with teammates Bria Hartley
and Lorin Dixon.
in 2001. The Washington Bears won 81 consecutive games in a span covering 1998–2001. Connecticut tied that record with their 81st consecutive win by beating Georgia Tech on 26 November 2010, and set a new record five days later with a win over Howard University
. Connecticut set the record for most consecutive wins in any NCAA sport after surpassing UCLA men's basketball program with 89 wins straight with a win over Florida State on December 21, 2010.
Maya Moore
Bria Hartley
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies are coached by Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...
, and play their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is a 10,167-seat multi-purpose arena in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on campus arena in New England. It was named after Harry A. Gampel, who donated one million dollars for the construction of the arena...
in Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
. The Huskies are a member of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
and will attempt to win their eighth NCAA championship. The UConn team has won the last two national championships, and has won 90 consecutive games.
Offseason
- May 12: Coach AuriemmaGeno AuriemmaLuigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...
, along with Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Duke men's basketball program, were the recipients of the "Winged Foot Award" presented annually (since 1996) to the coaches of the Men'sNCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
and Women'sNCAA Women's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. - June 11: 1995 graduate Rebecca LoboRebecca LoboRebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin is an American television basketball analyst and a former player in the professional Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 to 2003...
inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of FameWomen's Basketball Hall of FameThe Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors men and women who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA... - June 27: Incoming freshmen Bria HartleyBria HartleyBria Hartley is an American basketball player at the University of Connecticut. She played on the USA Basketball U18 team, where she helped the team win the gold medal and qualify for the 2011 FIBA U19 Women's World Championship.-Early years:...
and Stephanie Dolson played on the USA Basketball U18 teamUSA Women's U18 and U19 teamsThe USA Women's U18 and U19 teams are two of the teams under the auspices of the USA Basketball organization. The team names refer to the age limits for the invited players...
and helped the team win the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. - June 30: Senior Maya MooreMaya MooreMaya April Moore is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the...
was named to the United States women's national basketball teamUnited States women's national basketball teamThe United States women's national basketball team are the defending Olympic champions in women's basketball. The team is composed of some of the top American players in the WNBA and the women's college game....
which will compete at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for WomenFIBA World Championship for WomenThe FIBA World Championship for Women is a world basketball tournament for women's national teams held quadrennially...
. As part of the preparation, the national team played the WNBA All-stars in the WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game. Moore's teammates will include former Connecticut Husky players Sue BirdSue BirdSuzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....
, Diana TaurasiDiana TaurasiDiana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...
, Tina CharlesTina Charles (basketball)Tina Charles is an American women's basketball player with the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Galatasaray Medical Park of the TWBL. Originally from Jamaica, New York, Charles was drafted 1st overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft...
, Swin CashSwin CashSwintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash, is an American WNBA player who plays for the Seattle Storm. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002...
and Renee MontgomeryRenee MontgomeryRenee Danielle Montgomery is an American basketball player who won a national championship with the UConn Huskies in 2009. She currently plays for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.-High school:...
. Moore scored 12 points to help the USA team beat the WNBA All Stars. - August 8: Moore was selected to play in a basketball game organized by Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to entertain wounded troops. The players invited included some current and former stars: LeBron JamesLeBron JamesLeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
, Dwyane WadeDwyane WadeDwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...
, Carmelo AnthonyCarmelo AnthonyCarmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
, Bill RussellBill RussellWilliam Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
and Magic JohnsonMagic JohnsonEarvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
. - August 12: Caroline DotyCaroline DotyCaroline Marie Doty plays guard for the UConn women's basketball team, the 2009 NCAA National Champions. She has only lost 2 games during her career at the University of Connecticut.-References:...
to miss season. Doty will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in her left left knee, and will be out for the season.
Regular season
The Connecticut team opened the year ranked #1 in both the ESPN Coaches poll and the AP Top 25 Poll, following two consecutive undefeated seasons. The votes were not unanimous, with BaylorBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
earning a number one vote in the AP poll, and Baylor, Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
earning first place votes in the coaches poll.
Roster changes
The regular season began with a number of changes, some expected, some not. The expected changes including the graduation of five seniors from the previous squad, and the addition of five new freshmen. The unexpected change was the loss of starting guard Caroline DotyCaroline Doty
Caroline Marie Doty plays guard for the UConn women's basketball team, the 2009 NCAA National Champions. She has only lost 2 games during her career at the University of Connecticut.-References:...
, who suffered an ACL injury in July, and will be out for the entire season.
Jackie Fernandes is one of the seniors who graduated last year
2009–10 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
The 2009–10 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2009–2010 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Geno Auriemma, as the Huskies played their home games at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the XL Center located in...
and is no longer with the team. Fernandes averaged six minutes a game during the 2009–10 season. She was the high school teammate of Heather Buck, who will be a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
, after sitting out one year for development. Kaili McLaren played twelve minutes a game for the Huskies in the previous season, and has moved on to a professional basketball career with Apollon Ptolemaidos in Greece. Meghan Gardler graduated as well, after a career with UConn that saw her minutes increase each year, playing over thirteen minutes a game as a senior. Kalana Greene
Kalana Greene
Kalana Lanette Greene , is a basketball guard, currently for the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA, and CCC Polkowice in Poland. She played her college career at the University of Connecticut, where the Huskies were the 2009 and 2010 NCAA national Champions.-Early life:Greene grew up in St...
was a starting guard, playing almost 26 minutes per game and averaging eleven points per game. Greene was the 13th selection in the WNBA draft, where she was selected by and plays for the New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...
. The final graduating senior was Tina Charles
Tina Charles (basketball)
Tina Charles is an American women's basketball player with the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Galatasaray Medical Park of the TWBL. Originally from Jamaica, New York, Charles was drafted 1st overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft...
who was selected as the overall number one draft pick by the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
. Charles won a number of awards, including both Naismith and AP Player of the Year.
Joining the team were five freshmen: Stephanie Dolson from Port Jervis, New York, Lauren Englen from Laguna Hills California, Michala Johnson from Bellwood Illinois, and Samarie Walker from West Carrolton, Ohio.
Pre-season
The exhibition games were not competitive, as UConn defeated Franklin Pierce by a score of 112–41 and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Crimson HawksIUP Crimson Hawks
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania Crimson Hawks, commonly known as the IUP Crimson Hawks and formerly called the IUP Indians are the varsity athletic teams that represent Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The university and all of its teams compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic...
by a score of 100–41. Two of the freshman stood out at the IUP game, when Samarie Walker scored 22 points and Bria Hartey scored 18.
Non-conference games
UConn opened their season against perennial opponent Holy CrossCollege of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
. Uconn prevailed easily, winning by an 80 point margin, 117–37.
The second game was a match up between the top two rated teams in the country. UConn had beaten Baylor in the previous season NCAA semifinal game, but in that game, Baylor center Brittney Griner was a freshman, and faced the senior, AP Player of the year, Tina Charles. This year, Griner would be more experienced, and UConn had replaced the veteran Charles with a freshman, Stephanie Dolson. The game started with a moderate advantage for Baylor, who lead by five points early, with scores of 8–3 and 10–5. Then UConn took over and extended the lead, reaching a fifteen point margin early in the second half 44–29. Baylor did not fold, and went on a 27–4 run to retake the lead, and extend it to eight points. UConn responded, with Bria Hartley scoring eight points in the last four minutes, and held on for a 65–64 victory. The victory extended the UConn winning streak to 80 consecutive games.
Five days later, on November 21, the Huskies traveled to Georgia Tech, a game scheduled so that Maye Moore could play near where she had been a high school star. 7,325 fans showed up at the arena, setting a school record for attendance at a women's basketball game. Moore scored 30 points before coming out of the game to a standing ovation. The game would mark the 81st consecutive victory, tying consecutive wins record for NCAA basketball help by Washington University.
After the conference opener against South Florida, UConn played another perennial non-conference opponent, Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University is a Roman Catholic university located in suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. Sacred Heart was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart University was the first Catholic university in...
, and won easily, 86–32, to stretch the winning streak to 86 games.
World Vision Classic
UConn hosted the World Vision Classic over Thanksgiving. In the first of the three games, UConn easily beat HowardHoward University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
86–25, to set the new record consecutive win streak for NCAA women's basketball at 82 games. UConn then went on to beat the other two opponents in the Classic, Lehigh
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
and LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Madison Square Garden: record-tying game
UConn met tenth-ranked Ohio StateOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in Madison Square Garden as Part of the Maggie Dixon Classic, an annual event in honor of Maggie Dixon
Maggie Dixon
-External links:****...
, the head coach of the Army
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
team who passed away at the age of 28. A crowd of 15,232 witnessed UConn win 81–50 to tie the record of 88 consecutive wins set by UCLA in 1974.
Conference games
UConn opened its conference schedule against with an 80–54 win against USFUniversity of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
. After playing Sacred Heart, their second Big East opponent was Marquette, who came to the UConn campus but lost 79–47.
Roster
| Number | Name | Height | Position | Class |
| 32 | Heather Buck | 6-3 | Center/Forward | RS Sophomore |
| 30 | Lorin Dixon | 5-4 | Guard | Senior |
| 5 | Caroline Doty Caroline Doty Caroline Marie Doty plays guard for the UConn women's basketball team, the 2009 NCAA National Champions. She has only lost 2 games during her career at the University of Connecticut.-References:... |
5-10 | Guard | Junior |
| 34 | Kelly Faris Kelly Faris Kelly Elizabeth Faris plays guard for the UConn women's basketball team, the 2010 NCAA National Champions. She has been on a post-season championship team for five consecutive seasons, including four consecutive high school state championships and one NCAA championship.-Early life:Faris grew up... |
5-11 | Guard | Sophomore |
| 3 | Tiffany Hayes Tiffany Hayes Tiffany Kiara Hayes plays guard for the UConn women's basketball team, the 2009 and 2010 NCAA National Champions.-Early life:Hayes was born 20 September 1989 in Fort Polk, a town in western Louisiana to Dorothy and Renard Hayes.... |
5-10 | Guard | Junior |
| 23 | Maya Moore Maya Moore Maya April Moore is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the... |
6-0 | Forward | Senior |
| 11 | Stefanie Dolson | 6-5 | Center | Freshman |
| 12 | span style="display:none">EngelnLauren Engeln | 5-10 | Wing | Freshman |
| 14 | span style="display:none">HartleyBria Hartley Bria Hartley Bria Hartley is an American basketball player at the University of Connecticut. She played on the USA Basketball U18 team, where she helped the team win the gold medal and qualify for the 2011 FIBA U19 Women's World Championship.-Early years:... |
5-10 | Guard | Freshman |
| 25 | span style="display:none">JohnsonMichala Johnson | 6-3 | Forward | Freshman |
| 31 | span style="display:none">lWalkerSamarie Walkera | 6-1 | Guard | Freshman |
a Walker transferred to the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
24 January 2011
Schedule
The XL Center is the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at XL Center| Date | Time (EST) | Opponent / Event | Location | UConn Points | Opp. Points | Record | Streak | |
| | 11/4/2010 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Franklin Pierce ε | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 112 | 41 | |
||||||||
| | 11/10/2010 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Indiana Univ. (PA) ε | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 100 | 41 | |
||||||||
| 1 | 11/14/2010 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. Holy Cross | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 117 | 37 | 1–0 | 79 |
||||||||
| 2 | 11/16/2010 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. Baylor | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 65 | 64 | 2–0 | 80 |
||||||||
| 3 | 11/21/2010 | 2:00 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Ga. Thrillerdome Alexander Memorial Coliseum The Alexander Memorial Coliseum is an indoor arena located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is the home of the basketball teams of Georgia Tech and hosted the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA from 1968–1972 and again from 1997–1999... | 71 | 51 | 3–0 | 81 |
||||||||
| 4 | 11/26/2010 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Howard | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 86 | 25 | 4–0 |
82 | |||||||
| 5 | 11/27/2010 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Lehigh | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 81 | 38 | 5–0 |
83 | |||||||
| 6 | 11/28/2010 | 4:30 p.m. | vs. LSU | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 81 | 51 | 6–0 |
84 | |||||||
| 7 | 12/2/2010 | 7:00 p.m. | at USF β | Tampa, Fla. (USF Sun Dome) | 80 | 54 |
7–0 | 85 | ||||||
| 8 | 12/5/2010 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Sacred Heart | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 86 | 32 |
8–0 | 86 | ||||||
| 9 | 12/9/2010 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Marquette β | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) |
79 > 47 |
9–0 | 87 | |||||
| 10 | 12/19/2010 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | New York City (Madison Square Garden) | 81 | 50 | 10–0 |
88 | |||||||
| 11 | 12/21/2010 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Florida State | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 93 | 62 | 11–0 |
89 | |||||||
| 12 | 12/28/2010 | 10:00 p.m. | at Pacific | Stockton, Calif. Alex G. Spanos Center Alex G. Spanos Center Alex G. Spanos Center is a 6,150-seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium on the campus of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.The Alex G. Spanos Center opened on 9 September 1981 and was constructed for over $7 million dollars. It is named after Pacific alumnus and San Diego Chargers... | 85 | 42 | 12-0 |
90 | |||||||
| 13 | 12/30/2010 | 9:00 p.m. | at Stanford | Palo Alto, Calif. (Maples Pavilion) | 59 | 71 | 12-1 | 0 |
||||||||
| 14 | 1/05/2011 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Villanova β | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 81 | 35 | 13-1 |
1 | |||||||
| 15 | 1/8/2011 | 2:00 p.m. | at Notre Dame β | South Bend, Ind. (Purcell Pavilion) | 79 | 76 | 14-1 |
2 | |||||||
| 16 | 1/12/2011 | 9:30 p.m. | at St. John's β | New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden) | 84 | 52 | 15-1 |
3 | |||||||
| 17 | 1/15/2011 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Louisville β | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 78 | 55 | 16-1 |
4 | |||||||
| 18 | 1/17/2011 | 7:00 p.m. | at North Carolina | Chapel Hill, N.C. (Carmichael Auditorium) | 83 | 57 | 17-1 |
5 | |||||||
| 19 | 1/22/2011 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh 2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team The 2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Panthers, coached by Agnus Berenato, suffered their first losing season since 2004-05... β | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 66 | 46 | 18-1 |
6 | |||||||
| 20 | 1/26/2011 | 7:30 p.m. | at Rutgers β | Louis Brown Athletic Center (Piscataway, N.J.) | 63 | 44 | 19-1 |
7 | |||||||
| 21 | 1/29/2011 | 2:00 p.m. | at Cincinnati β | Cincinnati, Ohio (Fifth Third Arena) | 80 | 46 | 20-1 |
8 | |||||||
| 22 | 1/31/2011 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Duke | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 87 | 51 | 21-1 |
9 | |||||||
| 23 | 2/5/2011 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. DePaul β | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 89 | 66 | 22-1 |
10 | |||||||
| 24 | 2/8/2011 | 7:00 p.m. | at West Virginia β | Morgantown, W. Va. (WVU Coliseum) | 57 | 51 | 23-1 |
11 | |||||||
| 25 | 2/12/2011 | 2:00 p.m. | at Providence β | Providence, R.I. (Dunkin' Donuts Center) | 68 | 38 | 24-1 |
12 | |||||||
| 26 | 2/14/2011 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Oklahoma | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 86 | 45 | 25-1 |
13 | |||||||
| 27 | 2/19/2011 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame β | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 78 | 57 | 26-1 |
14 | |||||||
| 28 | 2/22/2011 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Seton Hall β | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 80 | 59 | 27-1 |
15 | |||||||
| 29 | 2/26/2011 | 3:00 p.m. | at Georgetown β | McDonough Arena (Washington, D.C.) | 52 | 42 | 28-1 |
16 | |||||||
| 30 | 2/28/2011 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Syracuse β | Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion) | 82 | 47 | 29-1 |
17 | |||||||
ε
Exhibition
β
Big East
Big East Tournament
The Big East tournament was held at the XL Center. The opening rounds proceeded largely as expected, with the Villanova Overtime victory over Providence the only upset in the first two rounds. In the third round (quarterfinals), the top seeds also held form.Quarterfinal
UConn faced Georgetown, in a surprisingly quiet offensive night for Maya Moore, who scored only six points, although gathered 15 rebounds. She has been held to under ten points only five times in her college career, spanning 147 games so far. Freshman Stephanie Dolson scored 24 points on eight of twelve shooting to lead all scorers. Her 24 points represented the most by a UConn player in their first post-season game, exceeding the 22 points scored by Diana TaurasiDiana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...
in 2001. Georgetown's Sugar Rogers scored eight consecutive points in the second half to cut the UConn lead to eleven, but UConn went on to win 59–43.
Semi-final
In the semifinals. UConn faced Rutgers, the last Big East team to beat UConn. That loss occurred in 2007. Moore, after scoring only six points in the quarterfinal, bounced back to score 17 points in the first half, and ended up with 22 points for the game. Kelly Faris added 19 points, one short of her career high, to help the Huskies to a 75–51 win over the Scarlet Knights.Big East Championship
With sixteen teams in the Big East, and a sixteen game conference schedule, every team plays every other team once, except for one team which is played twice. For several years, UConn drew Rutgers for two games, but more recently, the UConn schedule includes two games with Notre Dame. The Big East Championship game would be the third match up of the season between these two teams. The first two were won by UConn, but the game at Notre Dame was a close game, resulting in a three point win by the Huskies.The meeting would be the first Big East Championship match up of the two teams since the 2001 Big East Championship, a game described by Jeff Goldberg as "the best women's basketball game ever played" in Bird at the Buzzer (ISBN 9780803224117).
Notre Dame jumped out to an early 6–2 lead, but UConn quickly responded and took an 11–8 lead. Then Notre Dame came back, and pushed the score to a seven point lead, 20–13, forcing UConn coach Auriemma to a rare timeout. The lead went back-and-forth, with UConn holding on to a slim one point lead 32–31 at halftime. In the second half, UConn slowly pushed the margin to twelve points with just under thirteen minutes to go, but Notre Dame chipped away at the lead, and cut it to three points, with just over five minutes remaining. Stephanie Dolson and Maya Moore each made two point baskets over the next three minutes, while Notre Dame only scored four points.The Huskies won the game, 73–64, while using only six players in the rotation.
Moore was voted the Most Outstanding player of the tournament, but some felt that Stephanie Dolson deserved the honors. One of those who felt Dolson should have won was Moore herself, who said, "I wanted to tell Stefanie to go get [the award]". Dolson scored 60 points in the three tournament games, a UConn freshman record.
Player stats
| Player | Games Played | Minutes | Field Goals | Three Pointers | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | Points |
NCAA Basketball Tournament
Connecticut was awarded a bid to host first round games at their campus location in Storrs, Connecticut. The NCAA Selection committee rules require that if a team hosts the first two rounds, and is selected as one of the 64 teams, they must play at their home site. (Teams are not allowed to play at their home site for the third and fourth, or regional rounds.)First Round—Hartford
It is not often the opposing team's head coach gets a "long loud ovation" rivaling that of the home team's head coach. But then, it is not often that the visiting coach has her jersey hanging on the area wall where All-American contributors are honored. The game was almost an after-thought. The Hartford Hawks were the sixteen seed in the Philadelphia region, playing the top seeded UConn team on their home court. Hartford, coached by the former UConn point guard Jennifer RizzottiJennifer Rizzotti
Jennifer Rizzotti is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player, and current Division I coach. She is the daughter of Tom Rizzotti and Carol Rizzotti.-College:...
, had played UConn on six prior occasions, but each of those games were at the downtown Hartford XL Center. This was the first meeting between the two teams on the campus location where Rizzotti helped lead the UConn team to their first National Championship. Despite the emotional significance, Rizzotti was focused on her team, more than the location or the game outcome. The Hartford team had struggled early in the season, winning only one of their first ten games. They played much better later in the season, and won the America East
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
conference tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. Rizzotti took timeouts late in the game to allow her seniors to least their last game to strong ovations. The game was won by UConn 75–39, with balanced scoring by the UConn starters.
Second Round—Purdue
Purdue sometimes struggled during the season to generate offense, but used defense to win 21 games entering the NCAA tournament second round. Purdue's defense was successful, holding the top-ranked Huskies to 28% shooting and only 28 points in the first half, among the lowest recorded by the team during the year. However, UConn was also a defensively minded team, and held Purdue to only 13 first half points, including a ten minute stretch with zero points. Purdue more than doubled its output in the second half, scoring 27 points, but UConn's offense also picked up, and the final score was 64-40 in favor of UConn.This was the final game at the home court for seniors Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon. While Dixon did not score in the game, the shortest player on the floor at 5' 4" had a block for the last play of her game at her home arena. Both Moore and Dixon completed a college career without a single loss at home.
Regional Semi-Final—Georgetown
Lorin Dixon scored "only" four points, yet her performance earned her accolades from sports writers and coaches. Jeré Longman of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote, "on Sunday, Dixon had the biggest impact". Dixon's coach, Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...
said, "What Lorin did for us tonight was unbelievably important."
UConn and Georgetown were meeting for the third time this season. UConn won a close, ten point game in Georgetown during the regular season, and met again in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. The final margin of that game wasn't as close, but Georgetown held Maya Moore to six points, one of her rare performances with less than double-digit scoring. UConn ended the first half with a rare deficit, and Georgetown build the lead to a seven point margin 53-46, late in the second half. One of Auriemma's assistants suggested removing the 6' 5" center, Stephanie Dolson, and going with a smaller lineup including Dixon.
After a three pointer by Bria Hartley, Dixon stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a contested layup. On the next possession, Dixon stole the ball again, and passed to Hartley for a layup to tie the score. Less than a minute later, Dixon made a third steal, this time pulling up for a two point jump shot. After a two point jump shot by Moore, Dixon made yet another steal. Moore was fouled, and went to the line, completing a 13-0 run by the Huskies, with Dixon central to almost all of the points. Georgetown did not quit, and would score ten more points in the last four plus minutes of the game, but two more baskets by Moore, each assisted by Dixon, helped seal the win for UConn.
Regional Final—Duke
UConn faced Duke in the regional Final. The teams had met once before during the season, with UConn winning easily 87-51. Duke had only two other losses during the regular season, and ended the regular season winning the ACCAtlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
regular season and tournament championship. Duke had the second highest RPI
Ratings Percentage Index
The Rating Percentage Index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is one of the systems by which NCAA basketball and baseball teams are ranked...
in the country.
The game started out in UConn's favor, with UConn jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Unlike the earlier matchup, when UConn extended the lead to 23-2 before Duke scored again, Duke responded. While they were unable to take the lead, the margin was only three points with two and a half minutes to go in the first half. UConn then scored seven straight points, including a basket by Maya Moore as time was expiring to extend the lead to ten points. UConn opened up the second half with a 13-2 run, extended the lead to 29 almost halfway through the second period, and coasted to a 75-40 victory and a place in the Final Four.
With just under four minutes remaining in the game, Moore hit a two point jumper to give her 28 points for the game, and a total of 3000 for her career, just the seventh player in NCAA division I women's basketball history to reach the 3,000 point plateau.
Moore was named the Regional Most Outstanding Player. She was also named to the All-Tournament team, along with teammates Bria Hartley
Bria Hartley
Bria Hartley is an American basketball player at the University of Connecticut. She played on the USA Basketball U18 team, where she helped the team win the gold medal and qualify for the 2011 FIBA U19 Women's World Championship.-Early years:...
and Lorin Dixon.
Team
Connecticut set the record for consecutive wins by an NCAA women's basketball team. They set the record for consecutive wins by a Division 1 women's basketball team at 70, set in 2003. They tied the Division I record on 7 March 2010 against Syracuse. then went on to establish a new record two days later against Notre Dame. The NCAA women's basketball consecutive win streak was set by Washington UniversityWashington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
in 2001. The Washington Bears won 81 consecutive games in a span covering 1998–2001. Connecticut tied that record with their 81st consecutive win by beating Georgia Tech on 26 November 2010, and set a new record five days later with a win over Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. Connecticut set the record for most consecutive wins in any NCAA sport after surpassing UCLA men's basketball program with 89 wins straight with a win over Florida State on December 21, 2010.
Maya MooreMaya MooreMaya April Moore is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the...
- State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year
- AP National Player of the Year
- U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Player of the Year
- ECAC Player of the Year
- AP All-American(unanimous)
- Wooden All-American
- USBWA All-American
- State Farm Coaches' All-American
- Big East Player of the Year
- Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player
Bria HartleyBria HartleyBria Hartley is an American basketball player at the University of Connecticut. She played on the USA Basketball U18 team, where she helped the team win the gold medal and qualify for the 2011 FIBA U19 Women's World Championship.-Early years:...
- Big East Freshman of the Year
- All-Big East Second Team
- All-Big East Freshman Team
Team players drafted into the WNBA
| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
See also
- Basketball winning streaksBasketball winning streaksOn January 19, 1974, the UCLA Bruins lost a basketball game to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 71–70. It ended a streak of 88 consecutive victories, ironically begun after losing to Notre Dame almost three years earlier, on January 19, 1971. The streak encompassed 88 games, an NCAA division I...
- 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball teamThe 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Jim Calhoun and played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel...