UConn wins 10th women’s championship

Canadian Nurse has nine points as the Huskies win for the third straight year

TAMPA, FLA.— Geno Auriemma and his UConn Huskies are a perfect 10.

The Hall of Fame coach joined some elite company in UCLA’s John Wooden after tying the Wizard of Westwood with his 10th NCAA Tournament title.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Moriah Jefferson each scored 15 points Tuesday night to lead the Huskies to a 63-53 victory over Notre Dame. It was UConn’s third straight title; Auriemma and the Huskies have won all 10 of their trips to the national championship game.

Breanna Stewart added 15 rebounds and eight points. The twotime AP Player of the Year has saved her best games for the brightest lights. Canadian guard Kia Nurse had nine points for the Huskies.

Stewart earned most outstanding player of the Final Four honours for the third time, making her the first woman ever to achieve that. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the only men’s player to do it when he played for Wooden’s Bruins. She stated when she came to UConn that her goal was to win four championships. She is now one title away from being the first to win four straight.

Stewart has been a huge reason why the Huskies have been on their won three consecutive titles. The sixfoot-four star is the latest in a long line of outstanding UConn players that Auriemma has coached, including Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Maya Moore.

Those players have helped Auriemma win those 10 championships over 20 years. It took Wooden 12 years to get to 10.

“I just know that in our sport, from 1995 to today, what we’ve done against our peers is as good if not better than anybody else has done in their sport against their peers,” Auriemma said.

“I don’t care whether it’s harder in that sport.”

Auriemma won his title one night after fellow USA Basketball Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski won his fifth men’s championship at Duke.

“Our Dad was very proud of Geno and Mike and how throughout their years as collegiate head basketball coaches they have diligently led their student-athletes to be successful on the court, in the classroom and in their lives,” Wooden’s children Nan and Jim Wooden said in a statement.

Notre Dame’s Jewell Loyd did all she could to get the Irish over the top. Coach Muffet McGraw had her team back in the championship game for the fourth time in five seasons. The Irish have come up short each time, including the last two against UConn.

Notre Dame’s lone title came in 2001.

Loyd had 12 points for the Irish, going 4-for 18 from the field. She missed all eight of her shots in the second half.

The Irish (36-3) were able to slow the Huskies in the early going, not letting the Huskies get any kind of run going on offence.