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UConn Women’s Basketball: Huskies looking to break NCAA win streak record again

By Daniel Benjamin

Mar 26, 2016; Bridgeport, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline during the second half Mississippi State Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Bridgeport regional of the women's NCAA Tournament at Webster Bank Arena. UConn defeated Mississippi State 98-38. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; Bridgeport, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline during the second half Mississippi State Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Bridgeport regional of the women's NCAA Tournament at Webster Bank Arena. UConn defeated Mississippi State 98-38. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UConn women’s basketball team is set to make NCAA history this week.

The top-ranked UConn women (14-0, 2-0 AAC) are going for their 90th consecutive win when they host the South Florida Bulls (13-1, 2-0 AAC) at the XL Center in Hartford on Tuesday.

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With a victory over the 20th ranked Bulls, the Huskies will have a chance to break their own NCAA Division I win mark when they face the SMU Mustangs in Dallas on Jan. 14. The Huskies previously won 90 straight games from November 2008 to December 2010, surpassing the UCLA men’s basketball team that won 88 in a row in the early 1970s.

This rendition of the Huskies moved into No. 2 on the all-time longest winning streak list with their 90-45 shellacking of the East Carolina Pirates on Jan. 4. Napheesa Collier led five Huskies in double-figures with 21 points. Gabby Williams added 16 points, Katie Lou Samuelson had 15, Kia Nurse contributed 14 and Natalie Butler chipped in 12.

While the Huskies were expected to be one of the best teams in the nation, it is a surprise that they’re in this position as one of just three unbeaten teams. The Huskies are relatively young with just five upperclassmen on the roster. Saniya Chong, Tierney Lawlor, Nurse and Williams are the only players still on the squad from when the winning streak started.

Plus, head coach Geno Auriemma stacked the team’s early season schedule with games against top-flight competition. Six of the Huskies wins have come against teams still ranked in the top-16 in the country, with victories at Florida State, Notre Dame and Maryland, along with home wins over Baylor, Ohio State and Texas.

UConn is in this spot because it has gotten tremendous performances from their star players — Samuelson, Williams, Collier and Nurse — as well as solid contributions off the bench from Butler and freshman Crystal Dangerfield. Dangerfield scored a season-high 19 points and dished out five assists to help the Huskies defeat Baylor in just her second collegiate game.

Four different players have led the team in scoring and three players have topped the team in rebounding through the first 14 games. Samuelson and Collier have paced the squad in scoring five times apiece and Williams has grabbed the most boards seven times.

Samuelson leads the team with 20.2 points a game, as she is shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 46.0 percent from beyond the arc. Collier is second in scoring (19.6) and rebounds (7.6), while Nurse (13.6) is third in scoring. Williams is also averaging double-figures at 11.5 points.

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Overall, UConn is averaging 81.5 points, on 50.7 percent shooting from the field, and is holding opponents to 56.8 points a game and 36.8 percent shooting from the field. Only two of the Huskies wins have been by single digits.

If the Huskies have a chink in their armor, it is turnovers as they rank 45th in the nation with 200 turnovers (14.2 a game). Depth and shot-blocking are other concerns that could prevent them from capturing a fourth consecutive National Championship.

But back to the task at hand, which is USF. The Huskies are 20-0 all-time against the Bulls, including going 3-0 against them last season. USF was the only conference team to lose by less than 20 points to Huskies last year when they fell 76-59 at the Sun Dome.

The Bulls could give the Huskies a battle. They enter the game on a five-game winning streak.

USF is a high-scoring team that likes to shoot the three-pointer. The Bulls, who have seven players 6’2″ or taller, also do a good job on the boards and protecting the ball. They will likely play a zone defense against the Huskies, forcing the Huskies to knock down perimeter shots.

USF is averaging 79.0 points a game, making 8.3 three-pointers a game and shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Bulls scored 129 points against Saint Francis (PA) on Dec. 14.

The Bulls are also solid defensively holding opponents to 57.4 points a game and 34.8 percent shooting from the field. They have kept their opponents under 60 points nine times.

Forward Kitija Laska, who is coming off a 37-point performance in victory over Tulsa on Saturday, leads the Bulls with 21.6 points a game. She is shooting 42.5 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent on three-pointers. Maria Jespersen (14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds) and Ariadna Pujol (14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds) also are producing double-figures.

If they Huskies do get past the Bulls, their record-setting game will come against a SMU Mustangs team that is currently 10-5 (1-1 AAC) on the season. The Mustangs had their four-game winning streak snapped by East Carolina (58-57) on Saturday. SMU will face Tulane before hosting UConn.

The Mustangs are not a high-powered offense, but they’re stingy on the defensive end and control the boards. Forward Alicia Froling is averaging a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.9 boards a game, though, McKenzie Adams is the only other player in double-figures (10.6 points).

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Following the two games this week, UConn travels to Tulsa on Jan. 17. The Huskies next true test may be when they host South Carolina in Storrs on Feb. 13.

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