UConn picked to win AAC; Stewart POY; Nurse FOY

For the second consecutive season, UConn was picked to win the American Athletic Conference Regular Season Title, garnering 100 points in a vote of the league’s coaches and UConn All-American F Breanna Stewart was honored as the unanimous choice for AAC Preseason Player of the Year, as announced by the conference on Thursday morning.  In addition, UConn Fr. G Kia Nurse was selected as the league’s Preseason Freshman of the Year, while UConn All-American Sr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Jr. G Moriah Jefferson were placed on the Preseason All-Conference First Team. Sr. C Kiah Stokes earned a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Second Team. Stewart, who was joined by USF’s Courtney Williams as the only unanimous All-Conference picks, becomes the seventh Husky player, and first since Maya Moore, to be selected as the conference Preseason Player of the Year on multiple occasions. Overall, Connecticut boasts 18 Preseason conference Player of the Year accolades.

Preseason Player of the Year:
Jr. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut* 

Preseason Freshman of the Year:
Fr. G Kia Nurse, Connecticut

Preseason All-Conference First Team:
Jr. G Ariel Hearn, Memphis
Jr. G Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut
Sr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut
Jr. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut*
Jr. G Courtney Williams, South Florida*

Preseason All-Conference Second Team
So, G Feyonda Fitzgerald, Temple
Jr. F Alisia Jenkins, South Florida
Sr. G Alyesha Lovett, Cincinnati
RJr. G Jada Payne, East Carolina
Sr. C Kiah Stokes, Connecticut

* - unanimous pick

USA World Gold

The 2014 USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team (6-0) rolled through the 2014 FIBA World Championship undefeated and claimed a second-straight gold medal at the event with a 77-64 win over Spain (5-1) on Sunday night at Fenerbahce Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. The championship, which was the ninth World Championship gold, earned the USA its place in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and the USA is now 103-21 all-time in FIBA World Championship play. Former UConn Stars Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) led five U.S. players in double-digit scoring with game-high 18 points on her way to earning MVP honors, Tina Charles (New York Liberty) had 10 points and team-high 8 rebounds, and Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) had a team-high 8 assists. Additionally, Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) is now FIBA’s only four-time women’s World Championship medalist. Current UConn Star Breanna Stewart was also a member of the team as the only college player on the USA roster. Incoming UConn Freshman Kia Nurse helped lead the Canadian National Team to a 5th place finish as the starting PG in all their games including their final win against China with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

2014 WNBA Champions

The Phoenix Mercury were without star center Brittney Griner. However, they still had former UConn Great G  Diana Taurasi. Taurasi scored 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Mercury beat the Chicago Sky 87-82 Friday night to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA Finals for their 3rd championship.

''We have the best player in the world, Diana Taurasi,'' Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. ''When you put the ball in her hands at crunch time, she makes it happen.''

Taurasi made big plays as the Sky were threatening to force a Game 4. She hit a tie-breaking 16-foot jumper and was fouled with 14.3 seconds left and made the ensuing free throw to put Phoenix up 85-82. Taurasi shot 4 for 9 on 3's and became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer in the finals. She had some help. After she reached the podium, she slid her MVP trophy over toward her teammate Candice Dupree, a former Sky player who also scored 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting.

''Candice has probably been overlooked her whole career on whatever team she has played on. I've never played with someone that I'm so confident going into a game with. You always know she's going to be able to play. She led us in assists. She never passes, so you knew we were going to win today,'' Taurasi said with a smile.

DeWanna Bonner had 12 points and Penny Taylor added 11 for the Mercury, who also won titles in 2007 and 2009. Phoenix, which had a WNBA-record 29 wins during the regular season, shot 49.3 percent overall from the field and never led by more than five in the Game 3 victory. Elena Delle Donne, who battled a back injury during the series, scored 23 points, Sylvia Fowles had 20 points and Allie Quigley had 19 for the Sky.

2014 WNBA MVP

Former UConn Great W Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx has been named the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung, the WNBA announced today. Moore received 371 points (including 35 first-place votes) from a national panel of 38 sportswriters and broadcasters. The UConn product and two-time WNBA champion finished as the runner-up to Candace Parker in MVP voting a year ago and finished fourth behind winner Tina Charles in 2012. Former UConn Great Phoenix Mercury G Diana Taurasi finished second in the voting with 242 points (two first-place votes) and Atlanta Dream W Angel McCoughtry finished third with 112 points. Rounding out the top five vote-getters were Los Angeles Sparks F Candace Parker (91 points) and Mercury C Brittney Griner (67 points, one first-place vote), who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

This season, Moore guided the Lynx to a 25-9 record and the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed for the playoffs, despite the club being without injured All-Stars Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus for 23 and nine games, respectively. For the regular season, Moore played in all 34 games and paced the league in scoring (23.9 ppg), the third-highest average in WNBA history behind the 25.3 ppg and 24.1 ppg by Diana Taurasi in 2006 and 2008, respectively. The WNBA’s top draft pick in 2011, Moore opened the 2014 season by scoring 135 points over her first four outings, marking the most prolific four-game scoring stretch in WNBA history. With that effort, the fourth-year pro became the first player in league history to post four consecutive games of 30 or more points after pouring in 34 points at Washington; 33 vs. Connecticut; a then-career-high 38 at Tulsa; and 30 vs. New York. She went on to finish the regular season with a league-record 12 games of 30-plus points, topping the previous mark of 10 set by Diana Taurasi in 2008. Moore had perhaps her best outing of the season in a 112-108 double-overtime win over the visiting Atlanta Dream on July 22. In the victory, Moore tallied a career-high 48 points, marking the second-highest single-game total in WNBA history. Four games later, in a 84-75 victory at Tulsa on Aug. 2, Moore posted 40 points to break the league record for the most 30-point games in a single season.

Moore also finished the season ranked atop the WNBA in made field goals (295) and was second in minutes (34.7 mpg) and free throws made (160). Moore placed eighth in rebounding (8.1 rpg), tied for third in three-point field goals made (62), fourth in free throw percentage (.884, 160-of-181), tied for fourth in steals (1.88 spg), sixth in double-doubles (10), and 20th in assists (3.4 apg). In addition to leading her club in scoring, Moore placed second on the Lynx in rebounding and assists, and third in blocks (0.82 bpg). Moore earned two of the four Western Conference Player of the Month presented by Samsung awards and was named the conference’s Player of the Week five times, becoming the first player in league history to win Player of the Week honors in four consecutive weeks. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received. In honor of being named the WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Samsung, Moore will receive $15,000 and a specially-designed trophy.

1 Connecticut Huskies (40-0, 21-0 AAC)

Results: Connecticut 79, Notre Dame 58
Player of the Game: Sr. C Stefanie Dolson (17p, 16r, 7a, 3b, 38m)
Defensive Player of the Game: Sr. C Stefanie Dolson (12dr, 3b, 38m)
Freshman Player of the Game: Fr. G Lindsay Allen, Notre Dame (2p, 3r, 5a, 2s, 29m)
Stat of the Game: Pts. in the Paint: UConn 52, Notre Dame 22

Summary:  Duel National Champs!!! UConn men won last night vs. Kentucky for their 4th title and the UConn women followed suit tonight finishing up their 5th undefeated season by beating Notre Dame for their NCAA WCBB DI-record 9th National Championship!!!! National Player of the Year and All-American So. F Breanna Stewart led the way with 21pts. on 10-15 shooting and 9rebs., 4asts., and 2blks. while National Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Sr. C Stefanie Dolson added a double-double with 17pts. and 16rebs. to go along with 7asts. and 3blks. All-American Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis overcame an injury-riddled season to have an outstanding postseason and chipped in 18pts., 7rebs., 2asts., and 2stls. to earn a spot on the Final Four All-Tournament Team!

Senior All-Americans Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley conclude their careers with their 2nd consecutive NCAA titles. Dolson was absolutely brilliant from the tip until she left the game to a giant hug from her coach. She finished just shy of a triple-double with 17pts., 16rebs., 7asts., and 3blks. They will be missed by all (and by their teammates especially). Bria struggled on offense but shut down one of (if not the most) athletic guards in the women's game in Loyd, yet she still finished with 13pts., 2rebs., 3asts., and 1blk as she finished just 6pts shy of 2,000 career points (1,994). They are both EXTRA SPECIAL!!! I am so happy the world got to see just how special and that they got to go out on top. They are going to make whichever WNBA team(s) draft them very, very happy with their selection in next Monday's 2014 WNBA Draft.

2013-14 NCAA Women's Basketball National Champions (Duel Champs with UConn men)!!!

2014 Final Four All-Tournament Team:
Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
So. G Jewell Loyd, Notre Dame
Sr. G Kayla McBride, Notre Dame
Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut
So. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut (Most Outstanding Player)

Game notes (pdf) for today's NCAA Championship game vs 1-seed Notre Dame Fightin' Irish (37-0).

Event: 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four
Location: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
Time: 8:30pm (ET)
TV: ESPN
Internet: ESPN3
Radio: UConn IMG Radio Network/WTIC
Live Stats: GameTracker

1 Connecticut Huskies (39-0, 21-0 AAC)

Results: Connecticut 75, Stanford 56
Player of the Game: So. F Breanna Stewart (18p, 7r, 2a, 1s, 2b, 39m)
Defensive Player of the Game: Sr. C Stefanie Dolson (7dr, 2s, 1b, 35m)
Freshman Player of the Game: Fr. G Lili Thompson, Stanford (12p, 2r, 1a, 37m)
Stat of the Game: Pts. in the Paint: UConn 28, Stanford 14

Summary: One more to perfection!!! The Connecticut Huskies are back in a very familiar position, undefeated and playing for a national championship. They'll be going for an unprecedented ninth national championship after UConn All-American and National Player of the Year So. F Breanna Stewart scored 18 points and the Huskies advanced to another title game with a 75-56 win against Stanford on Sunday night. anticipated championship showdown of undefeated teams. It wasn't easy early, though the Huskies (39-0) did their part in setting up the highly anticipated championship showdown of undefeated teams. They will square off against Notre Dame, an 87-61 winner over Maryland, on Tuesday night in the title game. It will be the first women's national title game between unbeaten teams.

Game notes (pdf) for today's NCAA Final 4 game vs 2-seed Stanford Cardinal (33-3).

Event: NCAA Women's Final Four
Location: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
Time: 9:00pm (ET)
TV: ESPN
Internet: ESPN3
Radio: UConn IMG Radio Network/WTIC
Live Stats: GameTracker

2013-14 WBCA DI Coaches' All-American Team

The All-American trio of Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Sr. G Bria Hartley, and So. F Breanna Stewart have all been named to the 2013-14 WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team as announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association today at the Final Four in Nashville, TN. UConn has now had 31 all-time selections to the prestigious team and Stewart is the 18th Husky to be honored on the WBCA All-America squad. Dolson was selected to the squad last year while Hartley earned All-America status in 2012. This marks the ninth time that multiple Huskies were named WBCA All-Americans and the third time three made the squad. Sue Bird, Swin Cash and Diana Taurasi were selected in 2002 while Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore made the team in 2009. Stewart is only the sixth UConn sophomore to be named to the team along with Svetlana Abrosimova (1998-99), Diana Taurasi (2001-02), Moore (2008-09), Hartley, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (2012-13). Moore was also selected to the team during her freshman campaign.

2013-14 WBCA DI Coaches' All-American Team:
Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
Sr. G Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Sr. F Jordan Hooper, Nebraska
So. G Jewell Loyd, Notre Dame
Sr. G Kayla McBride, Notre Dame
So. G Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
Sr. F Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Sr. G Odyssey Sims, Baylor
So. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
Sr. F Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

2013-14 Senior CLASS Award

Today UConn All-American Sr. C Stefanie Dolson was selected as the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I women's basketball. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women's basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women's basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, community, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Dolson is majoring in communication science and plans to graduate in May. She has been named to the Director of Athletics Honor Roll four times. Over her college career, Dolson and her team have visited the Connecticut Children's Hospital and participated in the Walk for Autism. She played a key role in helping raise more than $30,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. She is fourth in Connecticut history in field goal percentage and blocked shots. She is one of only five players in Connecticut history to reach 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. She is one of only three Huskies all-time to register a triple-double. With a start on Sunday in the Final Four against Stanford, Dolson would break Stanford's Kayla Pedersen's NCAA DI record for career starts (150). Currently, they are tied at 150. Dolson has started 150 of a possible 152 games in which she has played in during her four year UConn career. She has only not played in ONE game (food poisoning) during her Husky tenure.

"I'm extremely honored and I know my family will be so proud and excited," Dolson said. "This award is special because it recognizes more than just basketball and celebrates what student-athletes also do in the classroom and in the community. I take a lot of pride in being a leader on this team, so I'm very happy to be recognized."

"I don't think there is a better representative of what a student-athlete and person should be than Stefanie," UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma said. "I've coached at UConn for many years and have coached great players and people. But over the last four years, Stefanie has been as good a teammate, player and representative of the university as anyone could ever hope someone could be. I'm sure there are other people as deserving of this 

2014 Honda Sports Award (WCBB) nominees

Today UConn All-American So. F Breanna Stewart was named one of 5 nominees for the Honda Sports Award for basketball as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). The other nominees are Sr. G Kayla McBride from Notre Dame, Sr. F Chiney Ogwumike from Stanford, Sr. G Odyssey Sims from Baylor, and Sr. F Alyssa Thomas from Maryland. The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2014 Honda Cup. The nominees were chosen by a panel of coaches representing the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The Honda Sports award winner for basketball will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote. The CWSA presents the Honda Sports Award annually to top women student-athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. In December, UConn's Marie Elena Bolles earned the honor in field hockey after leading the Huskies to the 2013 National Championship and earning National Player of the Year recognition. Honda Sports award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sports award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2014 Honda Cup award presented in June.

2013-14 WBCA DI DPOTY finalists

Today UConn All-American Sr. C Stefanie Dolson was selected as one of three finalists for WBCA Division I Defensive Player of the Year Award, presented by the United States Marine Corps. Joining Dolson as finalists for the honor are Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike and Baylor’s Odyssey Sims. The Defensive Player of the Year award honors the best defensive collegiate Division I women's basketball player. All Division I conference defensive players of the year are eligible to be nominated for the award. A selection committee makes the final decision on the winner. Dolson has anchored a UConn defense that leads the country in opponents field goal percentage (30.7 percent) and points allowed (47.4 ppg), both of which approach NCAA single-season records. She is fourth all-time at UConn in blocked shots and swatted a career-high 8 shots in UConn’s Regional Final victory over Texas A&M on March 31 a game in which she tied Stanford's Kayla Pedersen for all-time starts in NCAA DI WCBB history with 150 starts and UConn as a team set the NCAA DI record for blocked shots in a single season with 311 (Baylor 310, 2011-12, 40 games). The 2013-14 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winner, she enters the Final Four averaging 12.4ppg and leading the team in rebounding with 9.2rpg to go along with 127 assists. Defensively she has 89 blocks and 38 steals on the season. Dolson also boasts the distinction of joining Kara Wolters as the only two Huskies to four-peat as conference All-Tournament selections. To top the list, the senior recorded just the program’s second triple-double against Oregon on Nov. 20, 2013. The winner will be announced during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. CT Monday, April 7, in the Omni Nashville Hotel’s Broadway Ballroom. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four®.

2013-14 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team

Today UConn So. F Breanna Stewart was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team as announced by the Los Angeles Athletics Club. Voting by college basketball media members from throughout the nation took place March 12-25, which allowed voters to take into account the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The All-American Team is comprised of the five student-athletes who received the highest point total over that period. All players must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA to be eligible. The 5 members of this years John R. Wooden Award All-American Team are also the 5 finalists for the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award. The winner of the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award will be announced as part of the 38th annual Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s weekend April 10-12, 2014 at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The event will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, this year given to Stanford Head Women’s Basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer.

The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Stewart becomes the seventh Husky selected as a Wooden Award All-American since the team’s inception in 2004. Former UConn star Maya Moore is the only Husky to earn the honor on multiple occasions after making the team in every one of her distinguished four years at Connecticut. Stewart joins Moore, Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery and Diana Taurasi as UConn players to receive the honor. A unanimous AP First Team All-American selection, Stewart leads the Huskies with 19.4 points per game and ranks second on the UConn roster in rebounding with 8.1 boards per contest. Her 738 points this season are fourth most in program history and represent the second highest total by a sophomore since Maya Moore netted 754 in 2009-10. Stewart not only delivers on the offensive end, but the 6-4 forward leads the squad with 106 blocks on the season, helping UConn set a new NCAA single-season team record for rejections with 313.

2013-14 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team:
Sr. G Kayla McBride, Notre Dame
Sr. F Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Sr. G Odyssey Sims, Baylor
So. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
Sr. F Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

2013-14 AP All-Americans

For the first time since the 2001-02 season and the second time in program history, five Huskies have earned All-American recognition from the Associated Press as announced by the organization Tuesday morning. UConn All-American So. F Breanna Stewart headlined the squad as a unanimous First Team AP All-American selection. The Senior All-American duo of G Bria Hartley and C Stefanie Dolson earned Second Team choices. UConn So. G Moriah Jefferson and All-American Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were recognized with Honorable Mention honors. The feat marks the second time in program history that five Connecticut players have received AP recognition. In 2001-02, the combination of Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Diana Taurasi, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams collected five AP All-American accolades en route to winning the first of what would be three consecutive National Championships.

2013-14 AP All-American Team:
First Team:
Sr. G Kayla McBride, Notre Dame
Sr. F Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford*
Sr. G Odyssey Sims, Baylor*
So. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut*
Sr. F Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

Second Team:
Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
Sr. G Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Sr. F Jordan Hooper, Nebraska
So. G Jewell Loyd, Notre Dame
Sr. G Shoni Schimmel, Louisville

Third Team:
Sr. C Natalie Achonwa, Notre Dame
Sr. G Tricia Liston, Duke
Sr. G Maggie Lucas, Penn State
So. G Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
Jr. C Elizabeth Williams, Duke

* - unanimous selection

1/1 Connecticut Huskies (38-0, 21-0 AAC)

Results: Connecticut 69, Texas A&M 54
Player of the Game: Sr. C Stefanie Dolson (14p, 10r, 3a, 1s, 8b, 39m)
Def. Player of the Game: Sr. C Stefanie Dolson (9dr, 1s, 8b, 39m)
Fr. Player of the Game: none
Stat of the Game: Blocks: UConn 10, Texas A&M 2

Summary: UConn won its 44th straight game and are now headed to Nashville, TN to compete in their NCAA WCBB DI-record 7th straight Final Four (and 15th overall). Led by Lincoln Regional MOP and UConn All-American Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis' 17pts and 7rebs as well as All-American Sr. C Stefanie Dolson's 14pts., 10rebs, and career-high 8 blocks, UConn again pulled away early in the 2nd half to defeat Texas A&M, 69-54. In this game, Dolson also tied Stanford's Kayla Pedersen for all-time starts in NCAA DI WCBB history with 150 starts and UConn as a team set the NCAA DI record for blocked shots in a single season with 311 (Baylor 310, 2011-12, 40 games).

2014 Lincoln All-Regional Team:
Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
Sr. G Bria Hartley, Connecticut
Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut, MOP
So. G Courtney Walker, Texas A&M
So. G Courtney Williams, Texas A&M

2013-14 USBWA All-American Team

The trio of All-American Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Sr. G Bria Hartley, and So. F Breanna Stewart have earned spots on the 10-member 2013-14 United States Basketball Writers Association All-America Team as announced by the USBWA today. The USBWA Women's All-America Team is the nation's best ten players, regardless of position, as selected by the USBWA membership based on regular-season performance. These ten standouts are finalists for the USBWA's Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the national player of the year, which will be announced Sunday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., at 3:30 p.m. ET prior to the start of the NCAA Women's Final Four. Dolson earns her second-straight USBWA All-America Team selection while Hartley and Stewart earn the honor for the first time. Huskies have had at least one selection on the 10-member team in six of the last seven seasons. Dolson is the fifh Husky to earn multiple selections to the team, which began in 1996, joining former UConn Greats Nykesha Sales, Svetlana Abrosimova, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore.

2013-14 USBWA All-American Team:
Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut
Sr. G Bria Hartley, Connecticut
So. G Jewell Loyd, Notre Dame
Sr. G Maggie Lucas, Penn State
Sr. G Kayla McBride, Notre Dame
Sr. F Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford
Sr. G Shoni Schimmel, Louisville
Sr. G Odyssey Sims, Baylor
So. F Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
Sr. F Alyssa Thomas, Maryland

Game notes (pdf) for today's NCAA Elite 8 game vs 3-seed Texas A&M Aggies (27-8).

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, NE)
Time: 9:30pm (ET)
TV: ESPN
Internet: ESPN3
Radio: UConn IMG Radio Network/WTIC
Live Stats: GameTracker

1/1 Connecticut Huskies (37-0, 21-0 AAC)

Results: Connecticut 70, BYU 51
Player of the Game: Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (19p, 13r, 4a, 1s, 36m)
Def. Player of the Game: Sr. C Stefanie Dolson (10dr, 2s, 4b, 36m)
Fr. Player of the Game: none
Stat of the Game: 2nd Chance Pts.: UConn 27, BYU 9

Summary:  UConn All-American Jr. W Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis followed up her triple-double with a double-double of 19pts and 13rebs (career-high 8 offensive) as UConn pulled away midway through the SECOND half to defeat BYU, 70-51. UConn season scoring leaders Breanna Stewart and Bria Hartley overcame slow starts, with Stewart having 12 of her 16 in the second half and Hartley all 12 after halftime. At the end of the day, it wasn't pretty or easy (it isn't supposed to be), but a win is a win and UConn now moves onto the Elite 8 and awaits the winner of the Texas A&M-DePaul winner.

Game notes (pdf) for today's NCAA Sweet 16 game vs 12-seed BYU Cougars (23-9).

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, NE)
Time: 4:30pm (ET)
TV: ESPN
Internet: ESPN3
Radio: UConn IMG Radio Network/WTIC
Live Stats: GameTracker

2014 Wade Trophy finalists

The UConn trio of All-American Sr. C Stefanie Dolson, All-American Sr. G Bria Hartley, and All-American candidate So. F Breanna Stewart have been named as finalists for the 2014 Wade Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding Division I women's basketball player as announced on Thursday. The candidates were selected by a vote of committee members consisting of leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators. The committee will select the winner of The Wade Trophy from among the 12 finalists who also are named to the 10-member WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America Team when it is chosen in April. The winner will be announced during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday, April 7, 2014.