Champ Central
Bracket
Box Score
Notes
UConn Quotes
USF Quotes
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UConn Press Conference
Championship Recap Video
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The top-seeded UConn Huskies (32-1) claimed their second-consecutive American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship on Monday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Huskies downed No. 2-seed USF for the second time in eight days, this time by an 84-70 margin behind a 23-point effort from senior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.
Mosqueda-Lewis connected on 10-of-20 from the floor while playing every minute for the Huskies to earn championship Most Outstanding Player honors. Mosqueda-Lewis also topped the Huskies’ assist line, contributing six of 17 total.
The Bulls were able to cut a 23-point deficit to 14 at the final buzzer with a strong defensive effort, swiping seven of 11 total steals in the later frame. The Huskies scored 50 of their points in the paint while outrebounding USF 47 to 20 for the game.
On the night, UConn shot 53-percent from the field (36-for-67) to USF’s 44-percent (25-of-57).
Junior Breanna Stewart and sophomore Morgan Tuck each recorded double-doubles for UConn, with Stewart scoring 22 points and snagging 12 rebounds to Tuck’s 17 points and 10 boards. Junior guard Moriah Jefferson also hit double-digits in the score column with 14 points while dishing out five assists. Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson all joined Mosqueda-Lewis as All-Championship Team honorees.
For the Bulls, junior Shalethia Stringfield scored 20 points and added three steals in all 40 minutes. Stringfield was 6-of-10 from the floor, with three from long range and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. USF also saw a 17-point performance from senior Tamara Taylor, who recorded her highest point total since Dec. 17.
Also scoring in double figures were juniors Courtney Williams and Alisia Jenkins, who added 16 and 10 points, respectively. Williams dished out three assists while Jenkins was a force defensively, blocking four shots and making four steals. Both represented USF on the All-Championship Team.
The American Championship marked No. 1/1 UConn’s 31
st-straight victory on the season and the 20
th conference title in program history. The Huskies have yet to lose an American Athletic Conference contest, regular-season or tournament.
Both UConn and USF now await Selection Monday a week from now, when the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship field and bracket will be announced.
All-Championship Team:
Alisia Jenkins, USF
Courtney Williams, USF
Morgan Tuck, UConn
Breanna Stewart, UConn
Moriah Jefferson, UConn
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn (Most Outstanding Player)