NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — With
Breanna Stewart back for two more seasons, Geno Auriemma and UConn are
in position to win a few more titles.
None may be sweeter than the record ninth championship the Huskies won Tuesday night in unprecedented fashion.
Connecticut
reached the pinnacle in style, routing Notre Dame in the first NCAA
women's basketball championship game featuring undefeated teams.
Auriemma
and his Huskies have one more title than Pat Summitt and Tennessee for
most all time, and they did it in the Hall of Famer's backyard.
The
79-58 rout of the Irish capped the careers of seniors Stefanie Dolson
and Bria Hartley. The pair were the final remaining links to the
Huskies' NCAA-record 90-game winning streak that ended when they were
freshman. The duo finished their careers with back-to-back
championships.
"It's
overwhelming," an emotional Auriemma said. "Those two kids are two of
the most unbelievable kids I've ever been around my whole life and to
see their faces when they walked off the court, I don't usually get this
emotional, but this one got to me."
While
Auriemma loses his two seniors, he still has his sensational sophomore,
who has won two national championships in her first two seasons and
earned most outstanding player honors of the Final Four both times.
"I think that to be able to
have two national championships under my belt means a lot," Stewart
said. "Each team has been different and I'm really happy we could send
Stef and Bria off on this type of note."
Stewart,
The Associated Press Player of the Year, scored 21 points to lead the
Huskies (40-0). Dolson added 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
Auriemma took out his senior center with a minute left and the game well
in hand with the pair embracing in a long hug.
"We
beat a great, great team," Auriemma said. "Notre Dame is a great team.
For them to have the season they had and lose their starting center and
to do what they did, I can't say enough about their players, coaching
staff and it took everything we have. I knew if we played great we'd
have a chance to win."
The
victory also means that UConn is the center of the college basketball
world with both the men's and women's teams winning the championship in
the same year again.
The men's
team beat Kentucky in the title game Monday night. This pair of
victories come a decade after the Huskies became the only Division I
school to accomplish the feat.
"I couldn't be prouder of what the men did last night," Auriemma said.
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw congratulated the UConn coach when they shook hands after the game.
"I said something like, 'I thought we were playing the Miami Heat for a while you guys are just that good.' What a great season, you know things like that," McGraw said. "I thought ... LeBron was the only thing they were missing."
They didn't need him.
The
names change at UConn, from Rebecca Lobo to Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore
and now the Huskies have Stewart, just as much of a matchup nightmare in
the women's game as James is in the NBA.
But the one constant for UConn has been Auriemma, winning nine titles in only 20 seasons — including the past two.
Auriemma has never lost in a national championship game."Congratulations to the UConn Huskies for winning the 2014 NCAA National Championship!," Summitt said in a statement. "My compliments also to coach Geno Auriemma for winning his ninth national title. He has accomplished this feat in record time."
It
was the fifth unbeaten season for Auriemma and UConn and the first time
the Huskies went 40-0 — matching Baylor as the only schools to
accomplish that feat. The victory was also Connecticut's 46th straight
dating back to last season's NCAA tournament title run, the
third-longest streak in school history.
"It
means we've done something no one else has ever done," Auriemma said.
"Flattered and grateful and all the things that come with this kind of
accomplishment. ... I'm more proud of the legacy that exists and what
Connecticut basketball is as opposed to the number of championships."
The
loss was Notre Dame's third in the title game in the past four years.
Kayla McBride finished off her stellar career with 21 points to lead the
Irish, who were looking for their first championship since 2001.
"Obviously
we wanted to finish this season with a championship," said Irish
freshman Taya Reimer, who replaced Natalie Achonwa in the starting
lineup. "Right now, it is hard to think about. It hurts a lot."
After
proving to be no challenge for the Huskies during the first 15 years of
the rivalry which began in 1995, Notre Dame had owned the series
lately, winning seven of the previous nine meetings.
UConn
though has won the past two, eliminating Notre Dame in the Final Four
last season before topping them in the championship game this year.
The
former Big East rivals played an entertaining first half in the highly
anticipated matchup that women's basketball hoped could transcend the
sport. The programs don't care for each other and the coaches added to
the drama of the game with their verbal sparring on Monday.
But it was Auriemma who got the last word again.
___
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