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The UConn Huskies are the 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball champions after defeating the Stanford Cardinals 53-47 last night in front of 22,936 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. UConn Officially Becomes the First Women’s College Basketball Team to Have Back-to-Back Undefeated Seasons.
The UConn Huskies are the 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball champions after defeating the Stanford Cardinals 53-47 last night in front of 22,936 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
They are not only champions, but they finish the season with their 78-game winning streak intact.
And, as if this wasn’t impressive enough, they made history by becoming the first women’s team to win back-to-back undefeated national championships and the first of either gender to do so since John Wooden’s UCLA teams of 1972 and 1973.UConn could possibly be one of the most dynamic and versatile teams in the history of college sports.To be mentioned in the same category as the great teams of the 70s at UCLA is quite an honor.
The run to their seventh national championship was certainly not pretty but a win is a win.Stanford held a 20-12 lead at the half as UConn missed 18 of its first 20 shots— including 16 straight.These abysmal numbers enabled Stanford to go on a 12-0 run as the Cardinals took the biggest lead (12-5) that any team has held against the Huskies this season.
It was a battle under the boards for the entire first half and Stanford was able to come out on top despite an ankle injury to Stanford’s post player Jayne Appel. UConn shot only 5-for-29 (17.2 percent) in the first half, which also represented the lowest half time score in the history of the final four.
However, the Huskies came storming back after halftime by scoring 17 of 19 points, which included an impressive 12-0 run of their own. Stanford had no answer to the blistering offense, "During halftime, we said that we knew they would be making a run," Stanford’s Kayla Pedersen later said in an interview.
UConn finally took the lead with Maya Moore's shot from behind the arc with 14:27 left to play.Moore’s 3 pointer gave UConn a 23-22 lead and they never relinquished the lead.Stanford came within five points with minutes left to play but they didn’t have enough to topple the reigning champions.
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The Huskies pulled off the W despite shooting only 32 percent (19-for-58), the lowest percentage of all 78 wins so far. The final was a nail biter and also marked the lowest scoring margin for a UConn win this season. For a team who enjoyed an average winning margin of 41.6 points, a seven point lead presented quite a scare.
“This one was, by far, the hardest and most difficult, not because of what we went through but because we played a great team that had a great game plan,’’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma told the Boston Globe. “We won the game because it took everything we had to beat that team. I’ve never been prouder of a group of players because of the way they fought back. We reacted exactly how champions react.’’
“And that’s why we’re champions,’’ Maya Moore added. “We rise to the occasion. And we love big-time games and big-time shots.’’
Connecticut is scheduled to return to campus later today where they will attend a pep rally in their honor at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.
Congratulations to both teams, you made it one of the most exciting finals in recent memory. We applaud you both!
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