University of Connecticut Athletics
Sunday Showdown Between Nation's Top Two on ESPN
12/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2011
STORRS, Conn. -Sunday evening the No. 2 Connecticut Huskies will face the No. 1 Baylor Lady Bears in Waco, Texas at the Ferrell Center. The 8:30 p.m. tipoff will air on ESPN for the showdown between the nation's top two programs.
The Huskies (9-0, 1-0 BIG EAST) enter Sunday with an undefeated mark and have dominated every opponent defeating each by double-figure margins, while the Lady Bears (10-0, 0-0 Big 12) also are unbeaten and have knocked off 9-of-10 challengers by double digits.
UConn is led by freshman forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis who is averaging 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while senior Tiffany Hayes averages 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and sophomore Bria Hartley is averaging 13.8 and 4.1 assists per game. Mosqueda-Lewis and Hartley lifted the Huskies to a win over their last top-five opponent scoring 25 and 19 points in UConn's 68-58 victory over No. 3 Stanford.
Baylor's Brittney Griner is one of the top players in the country averaging 22.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game while adding 49 blocks in ten games. Joining Griner is guard Odyssey Sims who averages 17.7 points and 7.2 assists per game.
The two squads have faced each other twice all-time with Connecticut boasting a 2-0 record after a 70-50 Husky victory in the 2010 National Semifinal en route to their seventh National Championship.
"Baylor is a much more experienced and confident team then they have been the past two times we have met. They even may be better well-rounded and not only succeed or fail on what Brittney Griner does," Head Coach Geno Auriemma commented.
UConn, only traveling for the second time this season, will play in front of a sold out crowd at the Ferrell Center (10,284 capacity) where Baylor has won 28 straight games.
"Sunday should be a challenging atmosphere and that's why we play these games. Baylor has an environment that is very difficult to win in and then you add in everything that Sunday night brings," finished Auriemma.
Sunday's game will be televised by ESPN with Dave O'Brien, Doris Burke, Rebecca Lobo and Jeff Van Gundy on the call. It will also be broadcasted live on the UConn Radio Network.
