American Semifinals - Journal of Day 2

The UConn women made quick work of Rutgers on Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun.  The Huskies just dominated the game.  They clearly came to play.

C. Vivian Stringer described UConn as a prize fighter who throws a knockout punch early in the game and they shadow box throughout the rest of the half.  Then after halftime, they throw that next punch and usually the opponent can't withstand it. If you can't survive either punches, it is a TKO.

USF came so close to an upset bid - but lost the game in the final seconds. The Schimmel sisters played a key role in the Cardinals win - Shoni with the go ahead bucket and Jude with the steal and two free throws with 3.3 seconds left.

Jeff Walz and Jose Fernandez are the most animated coaches I have seen on a sideline in a long time.

USF has some ugly uniforms.  What are the people at Under Armor thinking?

$43.30 for a ticket to Monday's championship game is well worth it.  This will be Part Three between No. 1 UConn and No. 3 Louisville.  If the Cards win, UL is the No. 1 seed in the Louisville Region and UConn will be the No. 1 seed in Lincoln.  If the Huskies win, there is a 51% chance UConn is the top seed in Louisville region and Louisville is the two seed. Still, how is Louisville not a one seed - two losses to UConn and one loss to SEC runner-up Kentucky?  The NCAA should forget about their regional rules and do the right thing and place these two teams away from each other.

Best line of the day - Geno was asked if he thought it was odd that Rutgers did not attempt a three during the game.  His answer - why shoot threes if you are going to miss.  Stringer agreed.

Of note, 2014-15 season - UConn and Rutgers may meet in either Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center.  This all depends if Stringer wants to play a neutral site game.  Also, UConn will visit Notre Dame.  UConn an Louisville will continue to play their series in the 2015-16 season.

UConn women advance to AAC Semifinals

Uncasville, Conn. – The UConn women’s basketball team opened the American Athletic Conference postseason play with another rout. The No. 1 Huskies defeated eighth-seeded Cincinnati 72-42 in the quarterfinals at Mohegan Sun Arena. They will face fourth-seeded Rutgers on Sunday afternoon.

In front of a 7,332 partisan fans, the Huskies played uncharacteristically sloppy. As a team, they only assisted on 12 baskets, had 15 turnovers, and shot 25% from three-point range. Perhaps it can be attributed to the fact they were playing for the first time since last Monday or it was the first time playing at Mohegan Sun, which is located in southeastern Connecticut.

However, there were many positives to this game. The Huskies did win by 30 points and held the Bearcats to 32% shooting. Four starters scored in double figures. Breanna Stewart, the American Player of the Year, scored a game-high 22 points. She was nine for nine from the foul line.

Stefanie Dolson added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Bria Hartley scored 17 points and added five assists, but had five turnovers. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis struggled shooting again going four for 10 from the field, but ended with 12 points.

UConn (32-0) will play Rutgers (22-8) on Sunday at 1pm on ESPNU in the semifinals. The Scarlet Knights came from behind to defeat SMU 68-49. Guards Kahleah Copper scored 22 points and AAC Freshman of the Year Tyler Scaife added 18 points for Rutgers.

The UConn backcourt will be challenged to defend these two players on Sunday. In addition, the Huskies must be focused and not turnover the ball. Rutgers pressed SMU throughout the second half to take control of the game. Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said “that it is do or die” and she will do everything in her power to help her team advance to the American final on Monday night and secure an NCAA tournament bid.

Hartley and Moriah Jefferson must pass the ball up court to see Stewart and Dolson in transition. If they do that, they will win in ease. If they don’t, Rutgers will press and then drop into a zone and pack it in to force the Huskies to make outside shots.

The Huskies defeated the Scarlet Knights twice this season. Most recently, UConn won last weekend 72-35.  Defensively, the Huskies held Rutgers to their lowest scoring output of the season.

****

Game Notes:

UConn advanced to a conference semifinal for the 26^th time. They are 23-2 in the conference semifinals.

Louisville and South Florida will meet in the second semifinal on Sunday at 3pm (ESPNU).  Both teams won in Saturday evening blowouts.

Former UConn men’s basketball player Andre Drummond stopped by the UConn locker room after the game and took a picture with the team.

The American honored seven UConn players during a pre-game ceremony before the game. Soniya Chong was honored for making the All-Freshmen Team; Mosqueda-Lewis and Kia Stokes were honored for making the Second Team All-Conference; Dolson, Hartley, Jefferson and Stewart were honored for making the First Team All-Conference. Dolson received her Sportsmanship Award and Defensive Player of the Year trophies. Stewart received her Player of the Year Award and Geno Auriemma received his Coach of the Year Award.

AAC Women's Tournament - Quarterfinal Journal

The next few days, I am reliving some of the best moments of my life.  I am covering the American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Mohegan Sun this weekend for SB Nation/The UConn Blog.  What a great experience and an honor!

First of all, most the reporters are still the same since I last saw them in San Antonio in April of 2002. It is great to see a lot of old faces. Do they remember me, of course not, but I remember them.  They are all great people.

Mohegan Sun Arena is a wonderful place to host this event.  It is near the American's conference headquarters in Rhode Island and it is located in the state that has the most passion for women's basketball.  Today, there were over 7,000 fans - mostly UConn fans - for the quarterfinals.  A decade ago I remember going to the Rutgers Athletic Center and it was half filled with no excitement.  The XL Center served its purpose the past eight years, but the building is old and falling apart and looked empty the past few years.  I am sure the non-UConn games will struggle in attendance at Mohegan Sun, but a "neutral" site at a smaller venue is the way to go.   

I really hope the American considers hosting the men's championship at Mohegan Sun in the future as well.

No big news to report on during the UConn-Cincinnati game from today.  I was really impressed the skill of Breanna Stewart and Stefanie Dolson.  Sitting on the baseline gives you a better vantage point than on television or in the stands.

UConn will be playing a final time against Rutgers on Sunday afternoon during a conference tournament.  My best memory of this rivalry was the Big East semifinal in 2001 when the roof leaked at Gampel causing a lengthy game stoppage.

I will be tweeting and posting pictures on Twitter @TheUConnBlog and my game stories will be posted at theuconnblog.com.  I will be continuing my journal on this site after each game.

Back to Uncasville in the afternoon!  Don't forget to change your clocks - spring forward!

American announces women’s regular season awards

The American Athletic Conference named their inaugural regular season women’s basketball award winners on Thursday afternoon. The University of Connecticut, the regular season champions with a perfect 18-0 record, had seven players earn recognition. 

Stefanie Dolson received a lot of hardware and recognition. Dolson was named the American Defensive Player of the Year and the American Sportsmanship Award Winner. The senior center led the Huskies with 9.1 rebounds and was second on the team with 2.3 blocks, but also scored 12.4 points and had 3.4 assists.

Dolson joined Bria Hartley, Moriah Jefferson, and Breanna Stewart on the All-Conference First Team. Dolson, Hartley, and Stewart were unanimous selections. Hartley, a senior guard, averaged 16.6 points and 4.2 assists. Stewart, a sophomore forward, led UConn with 19.5 points and also grabbed 8.3 rebounds. Jefferson, a sophomore guard, scored 10.1 points, 5.2 assists and 2.6 steals.

Junior forwards Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Kiah Stokes made the All-Conference Second Team. Saniya Chong was on the All-Freshmen Team. Mosqueda-Lewis, limited to only 19 games this season due to injuries, averaged 12 points and shot 40.7 percent from three-point range. Stokes only scored 5 points per game but shot 62.3 percent from the field and averaged 7.4 rebounds off the bench. Chong averaged 5.7 points a game in her rookie season for the Huskies.

The American will announce the Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards on Friday afternoon prior to the first round of the AAC Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.  UConn will open tournament play on Saturday in the second quarterfinal game at approximately at 2:30pm (ESPN3).  The Huskies will face the winner of Friday night’s 8/9 game between Cincinnati-Central Florida.

The UConn Blog will at the AAC Tournament. Follow our twitter feed for live updates and the blog for all your pre- and postgame tournament coverage.

American Defensive Player of the Year
Stefanie Dolson, UConn, Sr., C
 
American Most Improved Player of the Year
Asia Taylor, Louisville, R-Sr., F
 
American Sportsmanship Award
Stefanie Dolson, UConn, Sr., C
Tia Gibbs, Louisville, R-Sr., G
 
American Sixth Player of the Year
Rateska Brown, Temple, Jr., G
 
All-Conference First Team
*Stefanie Dolson, UConn, Sr., C
*Bria Hartley, UConn, Sr., G
Moriah Jefferson, UConn, So., G
*Breanna Stewart, UConn, So., F
Sara Hammond, Louisville, Jr., F
Asia Taylor, Louisville, R-Sr., F
*Shoni Schimmel, Louisville, Sr., G
Ariel Hearn, Memphis, So., G
Kahleah Copper, Rutgers, So., G
Courtney Williams, USF, So., G
*Keena Mays, SMU, Sr., G
 
All-Conference Second Team 
Jeanise Randolph, Cincinnati, Sr., F
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn, Jr., F
Kiah Stokes, UConn, Jr., C
Bria Smith, Louisville, Jr., G
Betnijah Laney, Rutgers, Jr., G/F
Tyler Scaife, Rutgers, Fr., G
Alisia Jenkins, USF, So., F
Inga Orekhova, USF, Sr., G
Akil Simpson, SMU, Sr., F
Feyonda Fitzgerald, Temple, Fr., G
Natasha Thames, Temple, R-Sr., F
 
All-Freshman Team
*Zykira Lewis, UCF, Fr., G
Bianca Quisenberry, Cincinnati, Fr., G
Saniya Chong, UConn, Fr., G
Emmonnie Henderson, Louisville, Fr., F
Breigha Wilder-Cochran, Memphis, Fr., G
Mooriah Rowser, Memphis, R-Fr., G
*Tyler Scaife, Rutgers, Fr., G
Ariadna Pujol, USF, Fr., G
*Kiara Perry, SMU, Fr., G
*Feyonda Fitzgerald, Temple, Fr., G
Taylor Robinson, Temple, Fr., C
 
[*] denotes unanimous pick                   
 
Ties are not broken