Huskies howl along
UConn advances with 11th overall title at stake
Indianapolis — Breanna Stewart said she wanted to win four titles in her time at Connecticut.
Now, after a record rout, the Huskies (37-0) are one victory away from a fourth consecutive national championship and fulfilling Stewart’s goal. A feat never accomplished in women’s basketball.
Morgan Tuck scored 21 points and Stewart added 16 to help UConn beat Oregon State (32-5), 80-51, in the women’s Final Four.
“I think it sunk in when we were going back to the locker room all excited,” Stewart said. “One game left and we’re exactly in the position we want to be in. Now it’s practice tomorrow. National championship game Tuesday.”
If UConn does win on Tuesday night, coach Geno Auriemma will have an 11th national championship moving him past vaunted UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden for the most all time.
“I don’t know what I can do to help them except keep reminding them all the time ‘this is your spot,
you’ve owned this spot for the last three years,’ ” Auriemma said.
“Now there’s no guarantee you’re going to get it Tuesday night, but we’re not going in there Tuesday night hoping we win. Because these three (players) they’ve done more than that, it doesn’t mean we’re going to win, but I don’t have to help them with that mentality.”
The 29-point victory was the biggest margin of victory in women’s Final Four history. It was UConn’s 74th consecutive victory, the second-longest winning streak in NCAA and school history.
Syracuse 80, Washington 59: Alexis Peterson scored 18 points and Brittney Sykes added 17 to help the Orange (30-7) roll past the Huskies 80-59 and into its first women’s national championship game.
Washington (26-11) was led by Talia Walton, who had 29 points and made a Final Four-record 8 threepointers. The previous record of six was set by Katie Steding in the 1990 title game and matched in 2013 by Antonita Slaughter.
Kelsey Plum, the nation’s No. 3 scorer, had 17 points.
Syracuse took a 23-12 lead after one quarter, extended the lead to 39-20 midway through the second quarter and never let the Huskies get within single digits again.