Against all odds, the UConn women captured the American Athletic Conference championship on Monday night.
The Huskies have won every conference game they’ve played since the inception of the AAC in 2014. Their overall win streak now stands at 69. Nice.
Breanna Stewart was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck and Katie Lou Samuelson earned spots on the all-tournament team.
The title game was similar to UConn’s prior two contests against USF. The Bulls got off to a good start before the Huskies figured it out, then stepped on the gas to put the game out of reach. USF even led by one at the end of the first quarter. They’d only lose by 26.
The UConn offense — especially in the second and third quarters — was precise and efficient. Stewart led all scorers with 22 points. Tuck, Jefferson and Samuelson also scored in double-figures.
The real story of the night was the Huskies’ defense, however. Stewart blocked seven shots. Moriah Jefferson, and then Gabby Williams, made life extraordinarily difficult for USF’s Courtney Williams. Jefferson face-guarded Williams, denying her the ball possession after possession. When Williams did get shots up, she earned them, maneuvering around air tight defense.
Williams is a super fun player, and exactly the kind of talent that the women’s game needs to develop at universities not located in Storrs, CT. Her play is reminiscent of Allen Iverson: fast, strong and always looking to get a shot up.
Unfortunately for Williams, UConn’s talent and game plan were superior to USF’s in every conceivable way.
It’s near-impossible to beat the Huskies in a rematch. Once Geno Auriemma and his staff have gotten an up-close look at your team, they’re going to be better prepared the second time than they were the first. In the third contest of the season between UConn and USF, it was clear that the Bulls had nothing left to surprise the Huskies.
Opponents will need to play a flawless game to defeat UConn in the next few weeks. Auriemma’s team looks completely dialed-in and focused on their ultimate goal. This weekend they will find out how their next victim will be. Services for that poor 16-seed will be held in Bridgeport the weekend of March 26th. Tickets are on sale now.
