Eleven national titles, owning the longest winning streak in Division I college basketball history, now the ladies of UConn can add 100 consecutive wins to their list of achievements.
The Lady Huskies extended their undefeated record to 25-0, while giving the Gamecocks their third loss of the season. The victory marked the first time in NCAA basketball history, men or women, that a team has won 100 straight games.
Number one UConn beat number six South Carolina, winning 66-55 last Monday in a sold-out arena.
Among those that attended the game, Sue Bird; Maya Moore; Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart, where four of the UConn Huskies basketball players in attendance, who assisted the team to its first 75 wins of the streak.
"They carried the torch across the finish line to 100," Auriemma said via ESPN. "If it's a relay, they took the last baton to 100. If we win a national championship, it's all theirs. I want to focus on trying to do that instead of worrying about the other stuff."
Gabby Williams set a career-high in points scoring 26, while also gaining a double-double with 14 rebounds. Teammate Napheesa Collier contributed with 18 points to push the Huskies past the Gamecocks. However, UConn found themselves working harder to achieve the 100 wins.
In the previous 99 games, UConn won by an average of 38.7 points, but in this game the Gamecocks kept the game close through-out the match-up.
The Gamecocks’ Allisha Gray knocked down a jumper to take a 29-28 advantage over the Huskies, with 2:28 minutes left in the half. But, a Collier 3-pointer sparked a 7-0 run for UConn to end the half 35-29.
A Tyasha Harris jumper cut the Gamecocks’ deficit by two points, 35-37, but a UConn 14-4 run extended their lead by twelve, 51-39, to end the third quarter.
South Carolina ended the game with a late 5-0 run, but it wasn’t enough to catch up with the Huskies who secured the 11-point win.
Although the Huskies have reached 100 consecutive wins, they are still short 31 games to the Wayland Baptist women’s basketball team who has won 131 in 1953-58.
The Lady Huskies are now 75-0 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) since joining in 2013 and are not looking to end their streak anytime soon.
