Mississippi State ends UConn’s record 111-game winning streak
DALLAS – UConn’s record 111game winning streak came to a startling end when Mississippi State pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in women’s basketball history, stunning the Huskies 66-64 on Morgan William’s overtime buzzer beater in the national semifinals Friday night.
William hit a 15-footer to cap it, moments after a replay review awarded UConn two free throws for a flagrant 1 foul call that tied the game with 26.6 seconds left.
“I live for moments like this,” William said. “UConn, they’re an incredible team. For me to make that shot against them, it’s unbelievable. I’m still in shock right now. I wanted to take the shot. I wanted to take the shot and I made it.”
UConn coach Geno Auriemma had a wry smile on his face after the final shot. There wasn’t much else he could do, the chance for a fifth straight national title suddenly beyond his grasp.
The Huskies hadn’t lost in 865 days, with that defeat coming to Stanford in overtime on Nov. 17, 2014.
“We had an incredible run, but we came up against a much better team tonight,” Auriemma said.
The Bulldogs (34-4) will play South Carolina for the national championship Sunday night in a matchup of two SEC teams.
Mississippi State (33-5) and UConn met in the Sweet 16 last season and the Huskies won by 60 points – the most-lopsided win in regional semifinals history. All season long the Bulldogs had that humiliating loss on their minds.
Now they’ve erased that defeat, beating UConn (36-1) on the grandest stage in one of the sport’s greatest games.
Last year, the Falcons finished a game behind Yuba City in the league standings. This year, they have bigger plans.
“If we continue to play our game and work hard and just keep on track of what we do one game at a time ... as long as we continue to do the right thing, we have a good chance (to win the TCC),” Gillen said.
If there’s a hitch in River Valley’s giddy-up, it might be its hitting. As a team, the Falcons have a .322 batting average – not bad, but not exactly in the ballpark with what is generally expected from an elite high school team.
Friday, the Falcons touched Wymer for nine hits. Kyle Williams had a double and triple in his first two at-bats and scored twice, the first time on an RBI double to right by Jaden Diamond. Dakota Asher had a two-run single and Niko Tejada, the ninth batter in the Falcons’ order, had a triple as part of a 2-for-3 day. He also had two RBI.
“I feel like we’re playing pretty good,” said Tejada, a sophomore. “We’re starting to work better together. We’re starting to hit more, which is good.”
The Falcons head into next week with a chance to put some distance between themselves and Woodland (3-2 TCC), the team they host Monday in the first of a three-game series. Then comes a break from TCC play with the Allegiant Giving Tournament at Casa Roble.
Then comes the final stretch run of nine league games – including the final three against Yuba City – and a chance to prove how much things have really changed in the TCC.
“We definitely feel like we’re the best team in this league,” Chipchase said. “Our whole goal is to win league and then to playoffs. But one step at a time.”
In the junior varsity game, River Valley needed just five innings to finish Rio Linda, 10-0. Dominic LeBlanc struck out eight, walked none and surrendered three hits. Offensively he had a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. He also scored twice.
Josh Lee was 2 for 4 with an RBI, Elias DeArte had a double and an RBI and Justin Rodriguez was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. The Falcons had 10 hits total.
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