University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 1 UConn Opens BIG EAST Play at Miami
12/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
- Game Notes (.pdf)
TONIGHTS GAME
The Connecticut Huskies, ranked No. 1 in the country, face the Miami Hurricanes in the conference opener for both teams. UConn owns a 13-5 lead in the series. The last time these two teams met, UConn defeated the 'Canes, 93-46, in Gampel Pavilion. The last time the Huskies faced Miami in Florida, UConn won, 84-36. The Huskies were ranked No. 1 in both contests. UConn has won the last 13 meetings versus Miami, but the 'Canes won the first five since the series started in January of 1992. Connecticut is 7-3 versus the Hurricanes at home.
THE LAST MEETING
Connecticut went on a 21-6 run and shot 72.4% from the floor in the first half to seal the game early. Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph scored 27 of their combined 34 points in the opening stanza. The Huskies outscored the Hurricanes, 30-2, in fastbreak points. The game was Kelly Schumacher's second start of the season, and she continued to start in UConn's remaining 15 games of 1999-2000. Schumacher swatted a then-career high six shots versus Miami. Then- freshman Kennitra Johnson led the team with six assists off the bench and pulled down six rebounds.
UCONN'S LAST GAME- HUSKIES ROUT GWU
STORRS, CT (AP) (Nov. 29) -- HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Freshman Diana Taurasi scored 15 points and Svetlana Abrosimova had 14 to lead top-ranked Connecticut to a 90-63 win over George Washington on Wednesday in the Hartford Civic Center.
The Huskies (4-0) neutralized the Colonials' larger frontcourt by scoring from the outside.
Elena Vishniakova, the 6-foot-4 center for the Colonials (2-3), hit two quick inside baskets to give George Washington a 4-0 lead, its only edge of the night.
Abrosimova, Connecticut's fifth-leading scorer, countered with two 3-pointers to kick off a Huskies' 15-0 run. Taurasi was 3-for-3 in the first half from behind the arc. UConn had seven 3-pointers in the first half in building its 52-25 lead at the break.
The Huskies are missing 6-5 center Kelly Schumacher, who has a stress fracture in her right foot and is out at least until next week. Without Schumacher, UConn had no starting player taller than 6-2 against George Washington's Vishniakova and 6-3 Petra Dubovcova.
Junior forward Swin Cash picked up the slack inside with seven rebounds, 14 points and two blocks. Power forwards Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams combined for 21 points and 12 boards.
Vishniakova and Erica Lawrence each scored 12 points for George Washington.
MORE FROM CHRIST THE KING
For the second straight contest, UConn will have to face a product of Christ The King High School. George Washingtons Kristeena Alexander and Miamis Kathryn Fowler both attended the New York City High School, as did UConns Sue Bird.
DECEMBER- A JOLLY TIME FOR UCONN
It has been 14 years since UConn lost to a team that was a member of the BIG EAST Conference at the time in the month of December (12/29/86 vs. Providence). On the same note, it has been seven years since UConn has been defeated in December by anyone (12/28/93 at Stanford). Under Auriemma, UConn is 12-4 in its opening game of the month of December. As of Dec. 5, 2000 it will have been 1,393 days since UConn was last defeated by a team that is a member of the BIG EAST Conference during any month (1/23/99, BC 78-66).
HURRICANE UCONN
This season UConn, more so than Miami, has been the team that is rocking its opponents like a hurricane. To date the Huskies are averaging 96.5 points per game. If that sum were converted into a wind reading it would rank as a class two hurricane on the Saffir- Simpson Scale. In fact, November marked the end of hurricane season as no storm has ever been recorded on U.S. soil in the month of December
"HAIRY" START
Much has been made about the appearance of Svetlana Abrosimovas hair, including an SI feature story, but have the longer locks impacted her performance? So far this season, she has led UConn in points in three of four contests with a team leading 71 points. She is also topping the squad in steals (12), assists (22) and is tied with Diana Taurasi for three pointers (6). The chart below shows her combined average of the past three years with the shorter do four games into a season along with where her averages stand at this point in 2000:
Pts. 3Pt. FT Reb A Stl2000 17.8 1.5 2.8 4.8 5.5 31997-99 17.1 1.1 3.5 7.4 3.5 2.4
THE SUNSHINE STATE
It has been eight years since UConn lost to any team from the state of Florida (2/14/92 at Miami).
FROSH IMPACT
31% of UConns roster is made up of players who are freshman. So far this season Ashley Battle, Maria Conlon, Jessica Moore, Diana Taurasi and Morgan Valley have shown that they are ready to compete on the collegiate level. The five freshmen account for 20% of UConns points, 22% of rebounds, 35% of three-point shooting and 30% of UConns steals.
UCONN SHINES AGAINST THE 'CANES
Combined, UConn athletes have set 14 of their career bests in conference games against Miami.
FAVORITE ATHLETE
According to the University of Miami web site Hurricane freshman Shannon Presswood (Fr., C) lists former UConn Husky Rebecca Lobo as her favorite athlete. Connecticuts Shea Ralph (Sr., G/F) also tabs Lobo as her favorite athlete along with The Rock.
TALL TASK
Listed as 5-5, Miami starter Sheila James will be the shortest player UConn has faced this season. On average, the Hurricanes are the second shortest of the five teams the Huskies have played. Miamis average height it 5-8, while Georgias measured 5-7.
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 four 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 four games of each season. Bold indicates which year leads.
1994-95 1999-00 2000-01Points Scored 356 351 387Points Allowed 181 252 250Avg. Margin of Victory 43.7 24.7 34.2FG 134 128 149FGA 277 255 2633FG 20 19 233FGA 50 51 55FT 68 74 66FTA 105 111 102Rebounds 235 187 156Assists 77 79 102Blocks 37 22 20Steals 50 42 61
ON TOP OFF THE COURT TOO
Not only does Connecticut hold the upper hand on the court, as UConn is ahead 13-5 in all-time meetings, the Huskies have a slight advantage in the classroom as well. In her 12 previous seasons Miami head coach Ferne Labati has graduated 33 of 34 student-athletes that have completed their eligibility. UConn mentor Geno Auriemma boasts a 100 percent graduation rate.
EARLY RESULTS
Although a game lasts 40 minutes, all of UConns games have been over early. Within the first five minutes UConn has gained control of the lead in all its contests and have not relinquished it. In the opening five minutes of play the Huskies have outscored opponents 53-27.
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).
HEAD COACH GENO AURIEMMA
Head Coach Geno Auriemma is in his 16th season at the helm for the Huskies. Entering the Miami game, he is 397-95 (.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 four times in her career did she finish a game with no turnovers, including the Georgia and George Washington games during this season. So far on the season, Svet has only two turnovers in 100 minutes of play. In 1999-2000, Svet had two turnovers in UConns first regular season game and eight turnovers in the first four regular season games.
RALPH SHOOTING STUMBLES
After shooting a career-high .624 field goal percentage last season (second in BIG EAST), senior All-American Shea Ralph was 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. Her percentage 'dropped', however, to .650 (13-of-20 overall) after a 2-of-7 performance versus the Colonials.
STEADY FLOW OF CASH
Swin Cash has been UConns most consistent player on the boards. The junior forward leads the team with 29 total rebounds (7.3 rpg) after pulling down 10 versus Georgia, 12 on the West Coast, and a team-high seven versus George Washington. 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 (23.0 mpg).
AID FROM ASJHA
Asjha Jones started her first game of the regular season, and first since her freshman year, against Pepperdine on Nov. 21. 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. She was an outstanding 5-of-8 from the floor against the Colonials, including 0-for-2 from behind the three-point line.
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, finished 5-of- 7 against Washington, and was 4-of-4 versus George Washington. The junior forward led the league last season with a .714 clip (115- 161) and is currently shooting 21-0f-27 in four games (.778) to lead the team. Williams scored a season high 15 points versus Pepperdine.
ABROSIMOVA AND SHEA STILL CLIMBING
Entering the MIami game, Svetlana Abrosimova (1,669) is currently ranked No. 5 in UConns all-time career scoring list- 464 points behind No. 4 Rebecca Lobo (2,133). Shea Ralph (1,425) 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 1,6696. Wendy Davis 1,5527. Jennifer Rizzotti 1,5408. Cathy Bochain 1,5349. Shea Ralph 1,42510. 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).
