First Round: March 17-18. 1 seed in NCAA tournament history. The Tennessee-Connecticut rivalry advanced and popularized women's college basketball in the 1990s and 2000s. UConn will play most of its games either midweek or on Sunday. Shes ready double-figures in all but three games while averaging 15.9 per contest. Led by juniors Stewart and Jefferson and senior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn quickly recovered winning every other season game, including a 7658 win against rival Notre Dame. The South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (3-26, 2-12 MEAC) will look to return from a six-game losing streak when they visit the Norfolk State Spartanettes (23-6, 11-3 MEAC) on Wednesday, March 8 . ET, FOX. For the third consecutive year UConn successfully recruited the top ranked high school player in Elena Delle Donne, but shortly before enrolling at UConn Delle Donne requested a release from her scholarship, giving up basketball in order to stay closer to home and play volleyball at the University of Delaware; Delle Donne would eventually play basketball at Delaware, having a great college career that culminated in the #2 pick at 2013 WNBA draft. The Huskies have had six undefeated seasons, including two in three years (2013-14 and 2015-16)and back-to-back undefeated seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The end of 201213 season saw the breakup of the Big East Conference. 1 seed Stanford by six to win back-to-back national championships. LIVE STATS; TICKETS; LISTEN; GAME NOTES; STORRS, Conn. - The fourth-ranked UConn women's basketball team (25-5, 17-2) will celebrate graduate students Dorka Juhsz and Lou Lopez . Moore scored 23 points with 11 rebounds in the win as UConn pulled ahead and led by as many as 11. In her career at UConn, Taurasi led the team to four consecutive Final Fours and three straight national titles. After a break in the schedule for the holidays, UConn traveled out west and beat the Pacific Tigers to stretch the streak to 90 games. Katie Lou Samuelson once set a 3-point record with a 10-for-10 day against USF in 2017. 8 seed Temple 36No. Feb 23, Connecticut (25-4) Win vs. Providence, 77-68, 30. The Huskies have produced the national player of the year as many times as they have cut down the nets and they're led by arguably the greatest coach of all-time. All rights reserved. Seed Best finish (instances) No. Ms. Balthaser continued to expand the program, leading UConn to its first winning season in her first year as coach, and finishing with a 5288 record over five seasons. 1 in AP National poll, women's (250), Most consecutive NCAA Championships, any Division, women's (4, 20132016), Most consecutive NCAA Division I tournament wins, women's (28, 20132017), Most consecutive NCAA wins, any Division, men's or women's (111, 20142017), Most consecutive NCAA Division I regular-season wins, men's or women's (126, 20142019), Most consecutive NCAA Division I home court wins, women's (99, 20072012), Most consecutive NCAA Division I road wins, men's or women's (62, 20142019), Most consecutive NCAA Division I 30-win seasons, men's or women's (14, 20062019), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:25. [45] Despite losing Delle Donne the Huskies were ranked No. 4 seed Syracuse 51. She comes to Connecticut after growing up and working all along the West Coast, including stops at The Seattle Times and The Orange County Register. La Women's National Basketball Association (en . They also won the Big East tournament. Dec 28, Connecticut (11-1) Win vs. Hartford, 100-69, 13. Thirty-four additional at-large teams were selected from twelve of the conferences. Taurasi, the Naismith Player of the Year, scored 17 points in the championship game. UConn had modest success in Lobo's first 2 seasons, losing early in the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. Under his watch, UConn has become the winningest team in women's college basketball, and he has made a strong case as one of the best coaches ever. She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. Louisville made 16 of its 25 3-point attempts. Women's Basketball. He is a graduate of Indiana University. 32 Courtney Gaine Sr. G/F 5-9 Bethesda, Md. [66], The 20172018 season was very similar to the previous one. They then beat long-time rival and defending national champions Stanford to reach the National Championship game for the first time since 2016. Taken together during the three years 20052007, UConn never made a Final Four, something that had become almost routine (17 final fours in 22 years from 1995 to 2016). No. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Toggle Media Overlay. 2 seed Texas 65No. 9 seed Saint Joseph's 52No. Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held March 29 and March 31 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Charlotte Coliseum, (co-hosted by Davidson College and UNC Charlotte ). [1], In 1997, the field remained at 64 teams. 1 seed UConn 81, No. Led by center Tina Charles, who posted 25 points and 19 rebounds and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, UConn ran past Louisville in the national championship. 8 seed Vanderbilt 44No. Maya Moore was also a brilliant college student: she graduated with a 3.7 GPA, earning the Elite 88 Award, and was named Cosida Academic All-America First-Team in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Cosida Academic All-America of the Year in 2010 and 2011 (1st player to ever repeat) and All-sports Academic All-America of the Year in 2011. Those tournament victories were largely credited to senior Charde Houston, a top recruit out of San Diego viewed as not living up to expectations from Geno Auriemma and the UConn fans up to that point, who came up with key rebounds and clutch points in those games. Though Florida was a No. In 2010 Lobo became the first Connecticut player inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, among a class of six inductees,[19] followed by teammate Jennifer Rizzotti in the class of 2013.[20]. Feb 17 @ Notre Dame, Connecticut (23-4) Win vs. Notre Dame, 88-79, 28. As for Lopez Snchal, she makes an all-conference first team for the fourth consecutive season, but this time its the Big East instead of the MAAC. Notre Dame women's basketball is one of the best-known programs in the entire country and has been for quite some time. Players expected to be active in 202223 are in bold. 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 . 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women 's NCAA, 1981 . Michigan State was involved in two overtime games, winning in the first round against Portland then losing in overtime in the second round against North Carolina. 8 seed Florida 59No. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. "We're going to do it again next year. Swin Cash had 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Jones (19 points, nine rebounds) and Williams (12 points, nine rebounds) each finished a rebound shy of a double-double. Rebecca Lobo was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. In Round 1, seeds 1 and 16 faced each other, as well as seeds 2 and 15, seeds 3 and 14, seeds 4 and 13, seeds 5 and 12, seeds 6 and 11, seeds 7 and 10, and seeds 8 and 9. Jan 19 @ St. John's (NY), Connecticut (16-3) Loss vs. St. John's (NY), 62-64, 20. 1 seed UConn 82, No. 5 seed Boston College 49No. In 1980 the university hired Jean Balthaser, who had coached at the University of Pittsburgh. Her 538 points in 1997-98 are. 3 UCLA (89-75) on their home court to advance to the Sweet 16 played at a different arena in Spokane, just a few miles away. Taurasi hailed from Chino, California, and attended Don Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in southern California. The Gamecocks could become the first SEC team since 1997-98 to go undefeated. Jan 3, Connecticut (13-1) Win vs. Notre Dame, 84-58, 15. 4 seed, the Gators couldn't host because of a Rod Stewart concert, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. [7] The Huskies also own the longest winning streak in regular-season games in college history; after an overtime loss to Stanford on November 17, 2014, they won their next 126 regular-season games until a 6857 loss to Baylor on January 3, 2019.[8]. "[36], Taurasi received many personal accolades at UConn including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, the 2003 Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year award, the 2003 USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award and the 2004 Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. UConn won by a score of 6353 to achieve their third straight national championship and tenth total, with coach Auriemma tying a record set by John Wooden in college basketball. It's the holiday season. AN EVEN DOZEN The UConn women's basketball team is making its 12th appearance at the Final Four. She achieved legendary status among UConn fans, and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.[37]. The Tennessee Lady Vols know all about that. 1 seed UConn 87, No. Lost East Regional Final (75-64) versus #1 North Carolina, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. The top 10 single-game point totals in UConn history are all more than 115 points, including a program-record 140 points against Saint Francis in 2018. 1 seed UConn 83, No. No. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. 2 seed Penn State 67No. Nykesha Sales has the single-game scoring record: 46 points vs. Stanford on Dec. 21, 1997. UConn won the Big East tournament over Notre Dame in a game remembered for the Bird at the Buzzer shot, but lost key players Abrosimova and Ralph to season-ending injuries. After graduating from college in California, Wanda Flora went to graduate school at Indiana University, where she was an assistant coach for the women's basketball team and coached the junior varsity team. 1 seed UConn 86, No. Auriemma felt guilty that he put Sales through the ordeal and was angry that some columnists chose to fault her and not him. 1997-98 UConn Huskies Women 's Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com via Sports Logos.net About logos 1997-98 UConn Huskies Women's Schedule and Results Previous Season Next Season Record: 34-3 ( Big East WBB ) Rank: 3rd in the Final AP Poll Coach: Geno Auriemma Big East Reg Season Champ Big East Tourney Champ Even if both coaches remained vague and unspecific about the reasons of the cancellation, Tennessee filed a complaint to the NCAA about UConn's recruitment of Moore. No team seeded worse than 11 has made it as far as the 2011 Bulldogs. First Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame defected to the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Louisville announcing later they would follow in 2014. Here are some of the most impressive stats and records from the UConn dynasty. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Feb 7, Connecticut (21-3) Win vs. Stanford, 76-56, 25. 3 seed LSU 71No. Odds & lines subject to change. Women's Basketball vs #19/17 North Carolina February 16, 2023 8 PM. Thirty conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA tournament. The Huskies begin. UConn defeated Tennessee during the 1996-97 regular season; after a season-ending injury for Shea Ralph in the first round of the NCAA tournament, UConn reached the Regional Final where the two teams met again, with Tennessee prevailing and ending Connecticut's unbeaten season by winning 91-81. Ayanna Patterson: The No. 1 seed UConn 69, No. 1 seed UConn 86, No. Louisville was 24-8 on selection day and memorably upset defending national champion Baylor and stars Brittney Griner andOdyssey Sims82-81 in the Sweet 16. G 5-8 Littleton, Colo. 15 Asjha Jones Fr. In most cases, the higher seed accepted the opportunity. UConn mens hockey falls to Boston College, 5-3. Second Round: March 19-20. Skip To Main Content Pause All Rotators . Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Western Kentuck. Skip Ad She averaged a program-record 28.5 points per game and earned All-American honors, while Stanford lost two players (Vanessa Nygaard and Kristin Folkl) to injuries ahead of the game. 1 seed UConn 77, No. It was the Huskies' second title in a row, third in four years and fourth ever, and UConn's third national championship victory against Tennessee. 1 seed UConn 70, No. 3 seed Virginia 63No. Name. UConn completed a perfect 40-0 season by winning another national championship by 20-plus points, led by AP Player of the Year Breanna Stewart, who scored 21 points. 2 seed UConn 91, No. (); : Jan 6 @ Miami (FL), Connecticut (13-2) Loss vs. Miami (FL), 67-76, 16. 1 seed UConn 105, No. F 6-2 McKeesport, Pa. 25 Svetlana Abrosimova So. With Faris and Doty graduated, sophomore Breanna Stewart was the undisputed leader of the 201314 UConn team, starting in all 40 games and leading the team with 19.4 points and 2.8 blocks per game; her 291 field goals made was the third-highest single-season total in UConn annals. For Notre Dame, the Irish had come up just short once again as they had made the national championship game four times in five years and lost each time. F 6-2 St. Petersburg, Russia. In the NCAA tournament UConn reached the Elite Eight but came up short in its hopes to make it back to the Final Four, losing to eventual champion North Carolina. In 2010 Sports Illustrated selected the top 25 sports franchises of the decade 20002009. Tennessee and North Carolina both have rich histories in women's basketball. Not unfamiliar, but less perfectly aligned to their abilities and skills. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history. 1 seed UConn 116, No. Dec 23, Connecticut (10-1) Win vs. Massachusetts, 72-55, 12. [32], With the TASS force graduated, Diana Taurasi had to carry most of the load in her junior season, with help from returning teammates Maria Conlon, Jessica Moore and Ashley Battle and a top-ranked recruiting class of Ann Strother, Barbara Turner, Willnet Crockett and Nicole Wolff. Do you have a sports website? Nov 17, Connecticut (2-0) Win vs. Boston University, 68-54, 3. Coach:. Assists Kellie Jolly, Tennessee, recorded eleven assists in the championship game against Old Dominion, setting the record for most assists in a Final Four game. Jan 31, Connecticut (19-3) Win vs. Rutgers, 73-56, 23. "I wasn't going to go out my last game playing tentatively. Mar 21 (Neutral), Connecticut (32-5) Loss vs. North Carolina, 64-75, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Together with sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson and junior Kia Nurse, the only returning starters, the duo of sophomore Napheesa Collier and junior Gabby Williams quickly rose to national attention; even senior Saniya Chong, who had played few minutes in her first three seasons, showed great improvements, leading the nation in assists-to-turnovers ratio. 1 seed UConn 91, No. NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics, 199495 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, NCAA Division I women's basketball champions, 199495 NCAA Division I women's basketball season, USBWA Women's National Player of the Year, Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year, Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=199495_Connecticut_Huskies_women%27s_basketball_team&oldid=1130023059, NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament championship seasons, NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four seasons, 19941995 Big East Conference women's basketball season, 1995 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament participants, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 December 2022, at 07:17. WINNING IT ALL: The complete list of DI women's basketball champions. In an early test, UConn squeaked by #2 Baylor in their second game of the season. ACC Women's Basketball Tournament 2023 bracket, schedule, TV info. 3: Champion (2) 1994 North Carolina, 1997 Tennessee: No. They also won the Big East tournament. 9 seed Iowa 48No. [48] It was the only game in the Huskies' 78-game winning streak that was won by fewer than 10 points. 2 seed UConn 66, No. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Starters: Paige Bueckers, Fudd, Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Edwards, Juhasz. 1 seed UConn 74, No. In its announcement, UConn stated that going forward, number retirement would be reserved for former Huskies players inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as Lobo was in 2017. She finished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds, while All-American Jennifer Rizzotti gave UConn the lead with a layup with just under two minutes to play and she gave her team a four-point edge with a pair of free throws in the final minute. Relative to their high standards, UConn struggled during the first two years following Taurasi's graduation in 2004. NCAA Tournament. 7 seed Minnesota 58No. However, nearly a month later in Washington D.C., the Hoyas nearly caught up to the Huskies. Ultimately Notre Dame found its revenge with an upset win in the NCAA Tournament Final Four, ending the season with a 31 record against the Huskies, a record that would be repeated the following year. F 6-2 St. Petersburg, Russia. UConn went unbeaten through the Conference regular season and Tournament and easily advanced into the NCAA Tournament; in the regional final against Virginia a 4-points win in their closest game of the year opened the doors of the Final Four at the Target Center in Minneapolis. F/C 6-3 Oregon City, Ore. 4.3 ppg, 2. . The following table lists the region, host school, venue and the sixteen first and second round locations: The Regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 22 to March 24 at these sites: Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held March 28 and March 30 in Cincinnati at the Riverfront Coliseum, The sixty-four teams came from thirty-two states, plus Washington, D.C. California had the most teams with five bids. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996. The ACC Women's Basketball Tournament begins Wednesday. Feb 21 @ Villanova, Connecticut (24-4) Win vs. Villanova, 83-76, 29. Old Dominion was also involved in two overtime games, winning in the second round against Purdue, then winning in the national semifinal game against Stanford. 2023 University of Connecticut Athletics, Mens & Womens Basketball Away Game Donor Request Program, Husky Advantage Center of Athletic Leadership & Enrichment. Mar 19 (Neutral), Connecticut (32-4) Win vs. Washington, 75-74, 37. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The Huskies also became the first unbeaten team in NCAA history (all divisions, men or women) to win 35 games in a season. UConn fans booed Randall the rest of the game and Tennessee fans later gave her the nickname "Boo. Sweet 16: March 24-25. . Here's everything you need to know about the UConn women's basketball dynasty, including season-by-season records, the school's all-time roster and breakdowns of every one of the Huskies' championships. Rallying from a 14-point deficit in the NCAA regional final they beat conference rival Rutgers and advanced to their first Final Four since Taurasi graduated. 1 seed UConn 73, No. UConn won the regular season title and will be the top seed in the Big East Tournament. Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. "This is a great team," legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said of UConn, according to the Hartford Courant. 1 seed UConn 80, No. South Carolina defeated UConn 64-49. Share. 1 seed UConn 87, No. Elsewhere in the conference, Villanovas Maddy Siegrist won Big East Player of the Year, St. Johns Joe Tartamella picked up coach of the year honors, Georgetowns Kennedy Fauntleroy is the league freshman of the year while St. Johns Unique Drake earned the sixth-woman of the year award. UConn finished their regular season with a record of 260, including 180 in the Big East to win the conference regular season championship. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Watch the final 4 minutes of 1998's historic Harvard-Stanford 16-over-1 upset, The complete list of DI women's basketball champions, Teams with the most national championships, Remembering the dramatic end to UConn's 111-game winning streak, Watch the final seconds from every title game, 16-point comeback leads UCLA over No. ", No. With Bascom and teammates Laura Lishness, Megan Pattyson, Wendy Davis and Debbie Baer, UConn reached the NCAA Tournament again in 1990, losing 6159 to Clemson in the second round after a first-round bye. In the National Tournament, both Connecticut and Notre Dame were seeded first in their respective playoff brackets; each advanced to the Final Four held in Tampa, Florida. 1 seed the most times, Washington State upsets No. Tennessee defeated Connecticut again in the 199798 regular season. 1 seed UConn 81, No. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Feb 2, Connecticut (20-3) Win vs. Villanova, 80-65, 24. In the Final Four UConn was finally challenged by Baylor and the 6-foot-8 freshman Brittney Griner;[47] Baylor trailed 3926 at halftime, cut the deficit to 4138 with 15 minutes remaining in the game, but UConn finally pulled away for a final score of 7050. After the 1995 Championship title, UConn rose to national prominence as one of the powerhouses in women's college basketball, giving coach Auriemma the chance to recruit star talents from high school like Shea Ralph in 1996 and Svetlana Abrosimova in 1997. Only a fellow Big East team stood in the way of the Cardinals winning their first national championship. Sarah Darras. 1 seed Tennessee 68, UConn star Diana Taurasi scored 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including four 3-pointers, in a win against Tennessee the second-most ever in the national championship game at the time as she earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. The Huskies have produced the ESPY-winning Best Female College Athlete eight times and coach Geno Auriemma has been named AP National Coach of the Year nine times. 16 seed Southern 39No. Women's Basketball More Schedule Roster Coaches News Stats 2022-23 Season Stats (PDF) 2022-23 BIG EAST Stats (PDF) Additional Links 2022-23 Media Center 2022-23 Media Guide Archives. 2016-17 Men's Basketball Roster. The Arizona Wildcats are headed to the national championship after a stunning 69-59 upset win over UConn Huskies in the NCAA Women's Final Four. They dominated the Big East tournament, winning the championship game 6032. In the final game UConn found itself in early trouble when Lobo was called for three personal fouls in 94 seconds in the first half, but in the second half the team was able to rally from a 9-point deficit and a key Rizzotti layup gave UConn the lead with less than 2 minutes to go, a lead that the team kept until the final score of 7064 and their first national title. 14 UConn mens basketball at Villanova | 7:30 p.m. Some of its highly touted recruits did not play up to expectations while others suffered injuries. The official 2021-22 Women's Basketball schedule for the University of Southern California Trojans. The 201213 season began with high hopes having UConn landed three highly ranked recruits: #1 overall Breanna Stewart from Cicero North Syracuse High School, forward Morgan Tuck and guard Moriah Jefferson. 1 seed UConn 75, No. "I think our character came out the most when they cut it to two," Taurasi said. 2 seed UConn 67, No. 1 seed UConn 90, No. UConn also signed a landmark deal during the season with Connecticut Public Television to broadcast their games.[18]. They won their 17th Big East Regular Season title and their 15th Big East tournament title beating the Louisville Cardinals. Auriemma's training skills had an immediate impact and the team showed steady signs of progress: after going 1215 in his first season in 198586, Auriemma led UConn to winning seasons in 198687 and 198788. Her 7.9 assists per game rank second nationally and last game, she broke the Huskies single-season record for assists and has 236 on the year. 1 seed UConn 70, No. 1 seed UConn 77, No. Join our linker program. Aubrey Griffin received honorable mention honors. It was UConn's fifth undefeated season and Auriemma's ninth title in 20 years, with the national championship game marking the Huskies' 46th consecutive win. 11 seed UC Santa Barbara 56No. 4: Runner-up (2) 1992 Western Kentucky, 1994 Louisiana Tech 1 seed Tennessee for its second national championship. Women's Basketball 58. vs #8 Seed NC State 83. 1 in the preseason polls, having returned 10 players from the 2008 Final Four team (including All-Americans Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles), in addition to Kalana Greene who recovered from her knee injury. Mar 2 | Final. 1 seed UConn 71, No. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bracketology: Huskies stock rising after dispatching Providence, UConn mens hockey survives Alaska Anchorage in overtime, 4-3, Takeaways: Huskies offense shines in beatdown of No. Five of them have been first overall picks: Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011), and Breanna Stewart (2016). "There was never one moment in the season where I thought we were going to lose," Jones said at the team's return to Gampel Pavilion, according to the AP. A staple of UConn's rosters over the years has been long, athletic wings. They've also had six one-loss seasons. The national championship game against Stanford was a completely different story. "I'll be the first to say I'm not John Wooden and I got a bunch of friends who'd tell you I'm right, I'm not.". "Obviously it's a very significant number because that's the number that's been out there and people want to talk about it," Auriemma said, according to the AP. The Huskies advanced to their first Final Four since 1996 and beat Penn State in the semifinals, reaching the Lady Vols for the championship game in Auriemma's hometown of Philadelphia. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Andrea Hudy . Since 1995, UConn has had the AP National Player of the Year 12 times. [33], In the NCAA Tournament UConn easily advanced to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Auriemma was criticized for compromising the integrity of the game, but defended the decision saying it was a school record and he would never had done it without Bascom's blessing.[26]. [73], Sandra Hamm, a Terryville native, was employed part-time as the interim women's coach in the 19741975 season, when the team was 28. Nika Mhl repeated as Big East Defensive Player of the Year while Aaliyah Edwards earned the Big East Most Improved Player award. Connecticut recovered focus after the loss and got through the rest of the regular season undefeated, regaining the #1 ranking along the way after Baylor's loss to Texas Tech in February. Women's Basketball at #11/9 Virginia Tech February 19, 2023 4 PM. Seven UConn players received this award since its induction in 1982: Rebecca Lobo (1995), Shea Ralph (2000), Swin Cash (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003 and 2004), Tina Charles (2009), Maya Moore (2010), and Breanna Stewart for a record 4 times (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016).