University of Connecticut Athletics
Sixth Title Is A First For Most UConn Students
4/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 7, 2009
STORRS, Conn. (AP) - More than a thousand miles from the game, Connecticut fans stormed the court at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night to celebrate the Huskies sixth national championship.
Over 2,000 people, most of them students, watched on three large movie screens inside Connecticut's home arena as UConn routed Louisville 76-54 in St. Louis.
The school has won eight basketball championships, counting the two men's titles.
The last ones came in 2004, when UConn became the first school to win men's and women's championships in the same year. But that was a year before most UConn seniors arrived on campus.
After a five years without a title, the men made it back to the Final Four this season before losing to Michigan State Saturday night, and the women went undefeated.
"The girls and the boys teams are what makes our university," said Anastasia Ali a sophomore from New York. "We are known for our basketball, and this is what we've been waiting for."
They screamed when the players were introduced, booed when the announcers mentioned Tennessee, cheered wildly at every basket, and gave senior guard Renee Montgomery a standing ovation when she left the game with just over a minute left.
They remained standing until the final buzzer went off, then ran from their seats to the middle of the court, where they jumped up and down, as Queen's "We Are the Champions," blared from the speakers.
"There was a huge bubble that burst Saturday night when the guys lost," said Mat Jaronko, a junior from Southington, Conn. "That kind of deflated the energy around here, but it's back tonight."
With the outcome not in doubt after halftime, the biggest question was whether this team was better than the 2002 championship team that went 39-0. That squad included future WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams and Asjha Jones.
"I love Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird too, but this is our senior year and this is our team, so I obviously have a biased opinion, but I think this team is the greatest," said Kat Lynch, 21 of Bryn Mawr, Pa.
That was a common sentiment among the throng that poured onto Hillside Drive chanting "UConn Huskies."
While the celebration may not have been as big as it was five years ago, for these fans, it was anything but routine.
"I wasn't here for the last one," said Kait Moss of Berlin, Conn. "I'm a senior and I haven't seen this happen before," "So this is all new to me, and I'm excited."
