UConn Lady Huskies Secure 20th Conference Title

(AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

UNCASVILLE — The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team earned their 20^th conference title after beating the University of South Florida last night 84-70 for the American Athletic Conference Championship.

This was one of the more challenging games that the Huskies competed in all season. In fact, the 14-point win was the smallest margin UConn had won by all year.

“I think they just have a mentality where they’re not just going to quit,” said Morgan Tuck about South Florida. “Despite what the score is, they play hard the whole time.”

Although the Bulls played them hard, they could not outshine the performances of the Huskies. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led the way once again with 23 points, and Breanna Stewart followed posting 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The Huskies established a 20-point lead heading into the locker room after a physical half. Stewart had her work cut out for her down low, but Mosqueda-Lewis was there to score when she was needed, and Tuck put in work underneath the hoop contributing layups and big-time rebounds.

“I think our team has done a good job of really spreading out the points,” Mosqueda-Lewis said. “Whether Morgan needs to get rebounds, or Stewie needs to get rebounds, or I need to score, or Moriah needs to score, I think our team has done a really good job of getting contributors from a lot of people.”

According to USF head coach Jose Fernandez, there are a lot of fighters in the Bulls’ locker room, and that’s exactly what they proved coming into the second half. They came out at an aggressive pace and jostled the Huskies, causing them to make a few quick turnovers. Not to mention, the Bulls were draining their shots.

“They’re a lot better than people give them credit for,” head coach Geno Auriemma said of USF.

Moriah Jefferson provided an electrifying spark by making hard drives to the rim, and just when it was needed most, Gabby Williams came into the game and got two key rebounds and scored a quick four points for the Huskies.

“If we didn’t have that, there would have been a different feel to the game if Gabby hadn’t done that,” Auriemma said.

The Huskies also held a significant rebounding advantage over the Bulls, which ended up being a 47-20 lead overall, and that contributed to their composure during the second half of the game.

“We tried to just make sure that we were boxing out and being more aggressive than they were on the glass,” said Tuck.

USF didn’t let up until the buzzer sounded, but UConn maintained a lead for the entire game and never looked back.

Four different UConn players earned championship honors. Tuck, Stewart and Jefferson each earned a spot on the All-Championship Team and Mosqueda-Lewis took home the championship’s Most Outstanding Player Award.

This AAC championship title certainly begins to lay the foundation for the start of March.

“There is a different vibe on our team come March,” Auriemma said. “We go about things a little bit differently than we do during the regular season.”

With the conference now behind them, UConn is looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, where there is only one goal in mind: A championship.