Connecticut women win National Championship … again

TAMPA, Fla. — Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, lord of the rings, once again conquered the world of women’s college basketball.

The Huskies beat familiar foe Notre Dame 63-53 in the NCAA Tournament championship game Tuesday, giving Auriemma a 10th national title. He ties John Wooden, the legendary UCLA men’s coach, for the most championships in Division I basketball.

Connecticut (38-1) captured its third consecutive national title, its fifth in seven years. The Huskies beat the Irish in the national final for the second year in a row.

Notre Dame (36-3) reached the Final Four for the fifth consecutive year but failed to win the title in any of those seasons.

This time, it took a bit of scrap for the Huskies to win the title. They held Notre Dame to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and forced 17 turnovers, but the Irish kept within striking distance for most of the night.

In the end, however, Connecticut was able to hit enough from the 3-point arc to make the difference. The Huskies sank eight of 23 attempts from long distance (34.8 percent), 25 of 61 shots overall (41 percent).

Now, it will be up to the historians to argue whether Auriemma’s 10 titles are as impressive as Wooden’s.

“Obviously, it’s a significant number,” Auriemma said. “People want to talk about it. I’ll be the first to say I’m not John Wooden. I have a lot of friends who would say I’m right, I’m not. I’ll let the people who write the history decide where I fit in.”

Connecticut forward Breanna Stewart was selected the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player for the third straight season, even though her eight points were only the fifth-best total from her team. However, she grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and blocked four shots.

Stewart is the first three-time winner of the MOP. Southern California’s Cheryl Miller (1983-84), Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw (1997-98), Connecticut’s Diana Taurasi (2003-04) and Tennessee’s Candace Parker (2007-08) won the honor twice.

Huskies forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and guard Moriah Jefferson each scored 15 points, and they combined for five 3-pointers. Connecticut forward Morgan Tuck added 12, and guard Kia Nurse had nine.

Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd scored 12 points, but only two of them came after halftime. Loyd shot 0-for-8 in the second half. Irish forward Brianna Turner finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Notre Dame’s last gasp came when it pulled within 56-50 with 5:04 to play. However, Mosqueda-Lewis led Connecticut to a seven-point spurt that put the game away.

An impassioned plea from coach Muffet McGraw lit a fire under the Irish early in the second half, as Notre Dame sliced its deficit from 12 to six. However, Connecticut kept coming up with answers, and a 3-pointer by Tuck made it a 10-point margin with 11:30 to play.

Still, Notre Dame stayed in the game, largely because of its rebounding edge. Through the first 32 minutes of play, the Irish held a 39-26 advantage on the boards.

Connecticut was able to slow Loyd, holding her to two points through the first 12 minutes of the half.

Auriemma maintains that for all of the Huskies’ offensive prowess, much of the team’s spark comes on the defensive end. And it was that way from the get-go of the title game.

Notre Dame committed 13 turnovers in the first half. Connecticut took advantage and held a 31-23 lead at the break despite 10 points from Loyd.

Still, the Huskies didn’t feel completely secure. Stewart twisted her ankle, and she had a fairly pedestrian six first-half points.

Notre Dame held a 9-6 lead early, but the Huskies went on one of their usual runs once again. They outscored the Irish 10-2, including seven straight points from Mosqueda-Lewis.

Notre Dame was able to hang fairly close despite shooting only 30 percent from the floor before the break and struggling with the turnovers. Loyd scored the Irish’s last seven in the first half to keep the score respectable.

NOTES: This was the fifth consecutive season the Irish and the Huskies met in the Final Four. Notre Dame beat UConn in the semis in 2011 and 2012, while UConn won in the semis in 2013 and then in the final in 2014 and 2015. … Notre Dame led by 10 in the teams’ first meeting this season before UConn went on a 16-point run. … Notre Dame won seven of the 11 previous meetings. … Auriemma doesn’t apologize for having good players. “Anybody know who Steve Cauthen is? Who did he ride? He rode Affirmed,” he said. “Anybody know who the jockey for Alydar was? Hard to remember. I have no idea because he didn’t win any of those three races.”

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