University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies to Host Colonials in Women's Hoops
11/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
- Game Notes (.pdf)
TONIGHTS GAME
The Connecticut Huskies (3-0), ranked No. 1 in the country, face the George Washington Colonials (2-2) in the fourth meeting between the two teams in the sport of womens basketball. UConn owns a 3-0 lead in the series. The last time these two teams met was in 1998, when the Huskies defeated the Colonials, 75-67, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Storrs, CT. The Huskies went on to lose to NC State in the Mideast Regional Championship game. The Huskies were ranked No. 3 at the time of the game. UConns smallest margin of victory over George Washington is eight. This came during the last meeting (3/15/98) when the Huskies downed GW, 75-67. UConns largest margin of victory is 12 and this came during the first meeting (12/7/85) when UConn won the game 58-46. George Washington is one of three A-10 teams that has yet to beat the Huskies (Duquesne, Xavier). Overall, A-10 teams hold a 38-28 lead in the series versus Connecticut. Rhode Island has the most wins over the Huskies with a 13-8 advantage. That series started in 1975, but the Huskies have won the last six meetings with the Rams.
THE LAST MEETING
The two teams last met on March 15, 1998, during the second round of the NCAA Tournament hosted by UConn. The Huskies advanced in the tournament with a 75-67 win over the Colonials. The Huskies were led by Paige Sauer who had 23 points, while then-freshman Svetlana Abrosimova finished with a double-double (her fifth at the time) of 12 rebounds and 16 points. Rita Williams (16) and Amy Duran (13) also finished in double figures for the Huskies. George Washington was led off the bench by Chasity Myers with 20 points. A stark contrast to UConn's recent squads, the Huskies only got two points from their bench all game.
NOVEMBER GAMES
Entering the George Washington game, UConn has not been beaten in the month of November in 28 consecutive games. All-time the Huskies are 16-3 in games that are their last scheduled contest for the month of November. Under Auriemma, Connecticut is 13-1 (No games were played in November during the 1992-93 season).
LEADERS
In each of UConns last two games (11/21 at Pepperdine, 11/24 at Washington) the Huskies never trailed. In fact, in the 120 minutes played this season, Connecticut has been behind for only four minutes and 36 seconds.
THREE GAMES IN
Throughout the three games already this year, UConn has tabulated 297 points. This ranks as the second highest total in school history three games into a season. The 1998 squad holds the record with 317 points.
UCONN'S LAST GAME- HUSKIES CRUISE PAST WASHINGTON
SEATTLE (AP) (Nov. 24) -- Svetlana Abrosimova scored 11 of her 23 points during a decisive early run as No. 1 Connecticut coasted to a 100-54 victory over Washington.
The two-time All-America started the run with a 3-pointer. Over a six-minute stretch, Connecticut outscored Washington 24-6 - and forced six turnovers - to take a 30-11 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
Connecticut (3-0) never trailed and dominated with defense, forcing 26 turnovers and limiting Washington to 31.7 percent shooting from the field.
Asjha Jones and Diana Taurasi scored 14 points each for Connecticut. Tamika Williams added 11. Abrosimova was 10-of-11 from the field.
Kellie O'Neill scored a career-high 27 points for Washington (1-2).
Megan Franza, Washington's leading scorer, was limited to six points on 3-of-15 shooting, including 0-of-9 from 3-point range.
Connecticut, which returns all five starters and the top eight scorers from last season's national championship team, led by at least 22 points throughout the second half.
Sue Bird scored five points during a 17-0 Connecticut run early in the second half that made it a rout.
Connecticut outscored opponents by an average of 30.6 points per game last season while going 36-1. During the first three game this season, Connecticut has outscored opponents by an average of 36.7 points per game.
Abrosimova missed only one of nine shots in the first half as Connecticut took a 53-27 halftime lead. O'Neill scored 19 of Washington's 27 first half points.
It was the inaugural game at the newly renovated Hec Edmundson Pavilion, which was originally constructed in 1927 and underwent a $40 million facelift that increased seating capacity to 10,000.
Shea Ralph scored nine points to move into ninth place on Connecticut's career scoring list, passing Peggy Walsh.
CHRIST THE KING
UConns Sue Bird (Jr., G, Syosset, NY) and George Washingtons Kristeena Alexander both attended Christ The King High School in Queens, NY. During Alexanders four years the team posted a 101-3 record and won four state championships. Known nationally as a powerhouse, Christ The King High School has also produced, among others, Chamique Holdsclaw.
THE CAPITOL
Connecticut holds a 34-7 record against schools whose campuses are located in Washington, D.C. The only school in our nations capital that UConn has a losing record against is the University of the District of Columbia (0-1).
PAC-10 DOMINANCE
UConns 46-point victory over Washington was the Huskies second largest win over a Pac-10 team in school history.
45 POINTS
UConn has not been held below 45 points in any single half of play this season while George Washington has only gone over 45 points one time. The Colonials had 47 in the second half of the Washington State game 11/25/00.
RIGHT ON PACE
Listed in nearly every pre-season publication as the odds on favorite to repeat and defend the national title, an early check in (see graph below) shows that through three games the Huskies are right where they need to be when compared to the championship seasons of 1994-95 and 1999-00:
Stats are through the first three games of each season. Bold indicates which year leads.
1994-95 1999-00 2000-01Points Scored 279 250 297Points Allowed 129 173 187Avg. Margin of Victory 50.3 25.6 36.7FG 106 93 114FGA 199 188 1973FG 13 13 143FGA 26 35 36FT 54 51 55FTA 79 79 81Rebounds 183 136 118Assists 63 57 74Blocks 35 17 17Steals 34 30 48
RANKED FROM THE START
Since 1990-91, the Huskies have been ranked nationally at the start of the season. UConn earned the AP No. 1 spot at the beginning of the 1995-96 season, the 1999-2000 season and at the start of this season. UConns lowest preseason ranking over the last 10 years was No. 24 by the AP in 1990-91. Since an AP ranking of No. 4 to start 1994- 95, the Huskies have not opened the year lower than No. 6 (1997-98).
RANKED OPENERS
Despite UConns loaded schedules over the past years, the Georgia game was only the third time in history that the Huskies opened the year versus a ranked opponent. They are currently 2-1 versus ranked teams in season openers. The Huskies lost to then-No. 4 LaTech in the Tip-Off in 1995 and defeated then-No. 21 Duke in the Four in the Fall Classic (San Jose, CA) to open 1998.
TRUE INCUMBENTS
Including the week of 11/26, the Huskies have been nationally ranked in the Top 25 for 135 consecutive polls dating back to November 23, 1993 (seven seasons). UConn has been ranked No. 1 in the polls since preseason of 1999 making their stay 23 consecutive weeks at the top; a school record for consecutive rankings.
WIRE-TO-WIRE-TO-WIRE?
UConns remarkable journey to the national championship in 1999- 2000 started with a preseason No. 1 ranking and ended with the same. The hype currently surrounding this years squad expects nothing less than a repeat. LaTech is the only school in history to hold the No. 1 spot for two consecutive seasons, 1980-82, when they also won back-to-back championships. The last time a team was ranked wire-to-wire was Tennessee in 1997-98. Prior to that season, Texas was ranked No. 1 all through the 1985-86 season. (AP Rankings).
WEDNESDAY GAMES
Tonights tilt is the first Wednesday night matchup of the year. UConn has never lost a game held on a Wednesday in November in school history (4-0). In those meetings only one opponent (Holy Cross 11/29/89) has managed to hang more than half a hundred points on the Huskies (73-71).
HEAD COACH GENO AURIEMMA
Head Coach Geno Auriemma heads into his 16th season at the helm for the Huskies. Entering the George Washington game, he is 396-95 (.806) overall in his career, and has two national championships at Connecticut (1995,2000). Auriemma is third among active Division I coaches in winning percentage. He was also the first Division I coach (men or women) in basketball history to earn five consecutive 30-plus winning seasons... Auriemma has taken UConn to the 1995 and 2000 National Championship, four Final Four appearances, seven Elite Eights and eight Sweet Sixteen games. During his tenure, the team has also won 10 regular season BIG EAST titles and nine league tournament championships, including the last seven consecutive titles in each regular season and postseason.
ITS SVETS TURN
Senior two-time All-American Svetlana Abrosimova has opened the year with a bang. The forward scored a game-high 18 points, dished a game and career-high 11 assists, and grabbed a total of seven rebounds, all without a turnover, en route to being named the ESPN/Tip-Off Player of the Game in UConns season opener versus Georgia. Versus Pepperdine, her performance didnt miss a beat scoring a game-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and adding three assists, four rebounds and five steals. She saved her best shooting performance against Washington, going 10-of-11 from the floor and pulling down six rebounds. Abrosimovas season turnover totals have dropped steadily since her freshman year, and only three times in her career did she finish a game with no turnovers, including the Georgia game. So far on the season, Svet has only two turnovers in 78 minutes of play. In 1999-2000, Svet had two turnovers in UConns first regular season game and eight turnovers in the first three regular season games.
RALPH OFF TO HIGH PERCENTAGE START
After shooting a career-high .624 field goal percentage last season (second in BIG EAST), senior All-American Shea Ralph is off to a strong start going 11-for-13 from the field versus then-No. 3 Georgia, Pepperdine and Washington. Shea was a perfect 4-for-4 versus Georgia and was also perfect from the floor (3-for-3) versus Washington.
STEADY FLOW OF CASH
Swin Cash has been UConns most consistent player on the boards. The junior forward leads the team with 22 total rebounds (7.3 rpg) after pulling down 10 versus Georgia and 12 on the West Coast. Cash opened the year with her seventh career double-double over then-No. 3 Georgia and finished with 13 points, two blocks and two assists versus Pepperdine. Cash, a starter at forward, is also averaging the third most minutes per game on the team (23.7 mpg).
AID FROM ASJHA
Asjha Jones started her first game of the regular season, and first since her freshman year, against Pepperdine Tuesday night. She is currently third in scoring for the Huskies averaging 11.3 ppg. Jones, usually a reserve player, stepped into the starting lineup when Schumacher was sidelined. Jones finished the Pepperdine game with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks, and scored six consecutive points in the opening of the second half to give the Huskies an offensive boost. Versus Washington, Jones tied with Taurasi for the second most Husky points, scoring 14 on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. The center also had a career-high five assists, and two blocks.
WILLIAMS ON THE MOVE
Tamika Williams picked up from where she left off last year with a stellar 7-for-7 shooting performance versus Pepperdine and finished 5-of-7 against Washington. The junior forward led the league last season with a .714 clip (115-161) and is currently shooting 17-of-23 in three games (.739) to lead the post players (Ralph is at .846- 11-of- 13). Williams scored a season high 15 points versus Pepperdine.
THE BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES
Despite missing Schumacher, UConns premier shot-blocker, the Huskies swatted seven shots versus Pepperdine and four versus Washington. Five different players played block party host with Cash (4), Jones (2), Rigby (2) Williams (2) and Conlon each joining the effort.
ABROSIMOVA AND SHEA STILL CLIMBING
Entering the George Washington game, Svetlana Abrosimova (1,655) is currently ranked No. 5 in UConns all-time career scoring list- 478 points behind No. 4 Rebecca Lobo (2,133). Shea Ralph (1,418) entered the top 10 this week passing Peggy Walsh (1,413 points) at No. 9. Cathy Bochain holds the No. 8 spot with 1,534 points.
HERE IS THE ALL-TIME TOP TEN SCORERS UP-TO-DATE:1. Nykesha Sales 2,1782. Kerry Bascom 2,1773. Kara Wolters 2,1414. Rebecca Lobo 2,1335. Svetlana Abrosimova 1,6556. Wendy Davis 1,5527. Jennifer Rizzotti 1,5408. Cathy Bochain 1,5349. Shea Ralph 1,41810. Peggy Walsh 1,413
ONE TOUGH GAME AFTER ANOTHER
The 2000-2001 season is going to provide another tough schedule for the Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies will face six schools ranked in the preseason top 12 in both the AP and ESPN polls, including No. 2 Tennessee who they will face twice. The Huskies will also see action against No. 22 (ESPN) Boston College and No. 24 (ESPN) Illinois, while George Washington, Pepperdine and Virginia Tech all received votes between the two polls. UConn will play 11 schools who competed in the NCAA tournament last season, including two 1999- 2000 final four teams (Tennessee, Rutgers), two final eight schools (Georgia, LaTech), two sweet sixteen schools (Notre Dame, Old Dominion), three second round schools (Boston College, George Washington, Illinois) and two first round teams (Holy Cross, Pepperdine). UConn adds ACC school Wake Forest to the schedule as well as Virginia Tech, the newest member of the BIG EAST conference.
UCONN VERSUS THE FIELD
Of the 23 scheduled teams UConn will face this year, none hold a winning record against the Huskies. With UConns win over Georgia, the Huskies moved to 2-1 in that series. LaTech and Wake Forest come the closest though. The LaTech series is tied and the Wake Forest meeting will be the first between the two in the sport of womens basketball.
ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE HUSKIES
The University of Connecticut womens basketball team will have another first to talk about this year. Every single regular season UConn game will be televised during the 2000-2001 season. Thats more television coverage received than any other womens team in the nation, ever. Along with the national games telecast by Fox, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, UConn will have the rest of the games in the 2000-2001 season televised by Connecticut Public Television. CPTV has been covering the UConn womens program since the 1993-94 season. During the past six years, 106 UConn games have been televised regionally by CPTV. WTIC Radio will broadcast all the womens basketball games for the 2000-2001 season as well.
UCONN BASKETBALL -AN ADVANCE SELLOUT
Connecticuts entire 16-game home schedule (14 regular season games, 2 exhibitions) in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,027 capacity) and the Hartford Civic Center (16,294 capacity) is an advance sellout.
UCONN TO HOST 2000-2001 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
The University of Connecticut will serve as host for the 18th BIG EAST Womens Basketball Championship, March 4-7, 2000, at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs... UConn has hosted the 13-team tournament on five previous occasions: 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, and 1997... Connecticut was awarded the 2000 and 2001 tournaments by a vote of conference Directors of Athletics... The 2001 league championship will be held March 3-6.
ABROSIMOVA, RALPH EARN ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Seniors Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph received recognition as preseason First-Team All-America members by The Associated Press... Abrosimova and Ralph are the fourth pair of teammates, second from Connecticut, to make the preseason team since it started in 1994, following Catchings and Semeka Randall last season, Catchings and Holdsclaw in 1998 and Connecticuts Jennifer Rizzotti and Kara Wolters in 1995.
BIG EAST DEBUTS A NEW LOOK- WELCOME THE HOKIES
The BIG EAST Conference will continue its 16-game regular season league schedule during the 2000-2001 season and invites Virginia Tech into the mix... Each team will play three conference opponents twice (home and away) and will have five additional league home games and five road games... The Huskies have drawn home-and- away games with the following teams: Miami, Villanova, Syracuse... UConn will host Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, St. Johns, West Virginia... The team will travel to Boston College, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and Virginia Tech.
A WINNING PROGRAM
Since UConns first NCAA Championship in 1995, the Huskies have had the most victories of any other team over the last six seasons. UConn boasts a six-year record of 201-14, followed closely by Tennessee with a record of 198-24.
HUSKIES HANDLE ELITE TEAMS
The Huskies ended the Georgia game 38-9 overall versus ranked opponents over the past five seasons and are now 19-8 versus Top 10 opponents in that span. All-time, UConn is now 54-28 versus ranked teams and 26-17 against Top 10-ranked teams. The Huskies finished the 1999-2000 season 16-1 versus ranked opponents and an astounding 10-1 vs. Top 10 foes. Four of the nine occasions that the Huskies reached the century mark in 1999-2000 were against ranked teams. UConn boasted an average margin of victory of 20.0 points over ranked opponents (and a margin of defeat of 1.0 points).
