The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Huskies’ best of the decade
The UConn women’s basketball program entered the 2010 calendar year ranked first in the Associated Press Top25 poll.
Most likely, the decade will end with the Huskies in the same exact spot.
The Huskies reaffirmed their dominance as the country’s most dominant program over the last 10 years, winning five national championships and never missing a Final Four. They held separate winning streaks of 90 and 111 games along the way, igniting heated debate about whether their dominance was bad for the sport.
During that time, one of the game’s most legendary coaches, Geno Auriemma, ushered in a new collection of stars — names like Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, each of whom would go on to win the national player of the year award multiple times.
There were a few bumps along the way, including three straight losses in the national semifinals from 201719, but the foundation is still firmly in place in Storrs.
Here’s a look back at the games, people and moments that defined UConn women’s basketball in the 2010s.
ALL-DECADE TEAM First Team
GMoriah Jefferson: Jefferson was the quarterback for some of the best teams ever assembled in Storrs. Nimble and surehanded, she was a perfect sidekick for Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck. Remarkably, Jefferson had nearly as many titles (four) as losses (five) during her time as a Husky. She still holds the school record for assists with 659.
GMaya Moore: Moore is one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport, making this choice a nobrainer. She’s the only 3,000point scorer in program history, the secondleading rebounder and a fourtime AP AllAmerican. The Huskies went 1504 under her watch, winning two national titles.
GBreanna Stewart: Stewart was unflappable and, at times, unstoppable. She said she wanted to win four national championships, so she went out and did it. Stewart — a threetime AP National Player of the Year and fourtime Final Four Most Outstanding Player — is the secondleading scorer (2,676) and top shot blocker (414) in school history.
FNapheesa Collier: Collier was so steady, durable and dependable that Geno Auriemma likened her to a machine. She just kept going and going and going. She ranks third in program history in scoring (2,401) and fourth in rebounding (1,219), and became the first Husky since Rebecca Lobo to average a doubledouble for a season.
CTina Charles: Charles spent the bulk of her time at UConn before the turn of the decade, but it’d be a mistake to leave her off this list. Just look at what she did as a senior in 2010, winning AP National Player of the Year and teaming up with Moore to carry the Huskies to a 390 season. Charles ranks first alltime in rebounds (1,367) and fourth in scoring (2,346) at UConn.
Second Team
GKia Nurse: The Canadianborn Nurse was a fouryear starter, and a good one at that. She was a tenacious defender and a suitable scorer, who helped lead the Huskies to their last two national championships (2015 and 2016).
GGabby Williams: The 5foot11 Williams was a weapon of versatility, showing an ability to play just about anywhere on the floor. Like Nurse, she was a lockdown defender. Her 305 steals are fifthmost in UConn history.
GKaleena MosquedaLewis: The California product was one of — if not the — best shooters to ever play at UConn. She drained a schoolrecord 398 3pointers.
FKatie Lou Samuelson: Samuelson followed in the footsteps of MosquedaLewis, a No. 1 recruit out of Mater Dei High School who became a lightsout shooter. She was an effortless scorer and had a flair for the dramatic. Her 29point outburst on a balky back in last year’s Elite Eight was remarkable.
CStefanie Dolson:
Some of Auriemma’s best offenses have come when he has an elite passer out of the post. The 65 Dolson was exactly that.
TOP 5 TEAMS
1. 2016: Generally, the pursuit of history is accompanied by unimaginable pressure. Don’t tell that to Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck and the rest of the 2016 Huskies, who went 380 and won a record fourth straight national championship. The Huskies won every game by doubledigits, including an 8251 rout of Syracuse in the title game.
2. 2010: The Huskies opened the season ranked No. 1 in the country and stayed there. A 390 season culminated with a 5347 victory over Stanford in the national championship game. The win extended the Huskies’ streak to 78 games.
3. 2014: A 7958 rout of Notre Dame gave Auriemma his record ninth national championship, surpassing Tennessee’s Pat Summitt. The Huskies were simply too much to handle for the Fighting Irish and Muffet McGraw, who said afterward it was like her team was playing the LeBron Jamesled Miami Heat.
4. 2015: An overtime loss at Stanford in November was the only blemish in a championship season.
5. 2013: The Huskies ended a twoyear championship drought by clobbering Louisville 9360 for their eighth title.
TOP STORYLINES
We meet again: Marquee games, largerthanlife coaches, star players. Over the last decade, Notre DameUConn grew into the sport’s fiercest rivalry, supplanting TennesseeUConn. The schools squared off seven times in the Final Four, with the Fighting Irish holding a 43 edge.
Fourpeat: The Huskies made history on April 5, 2016, in Indianapolis, thumping Syracuse 8251 for their fourth straight national championship. The feat is unmatched in both the women’s and men’s game.
Geno 1k: Auriemma collected the 1,000th win of his legendary career with an 8864 victory over Oklahoma on Dec. 19, 2017, at Mohegan Sun. The Hall of Fame coach is now up to 1,072 wins, trailing only Summit (1,098) and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer (1,077).
Shocked in the Lone Star State: UConn’s record 111game win streak came to a stunning end at the hands of Mississippi State in the 2017 Final Four in Dallas. Morgan William cut down the Huskies at the buzzer in overtime, 6664, ruining their dreams of a fifth straight title. The Huskies also had a 90game winning streak that ended in 2011.