Nine former players watched as the title banners were unveiled Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion.
The 2014-15 and 2015-16 UConn women’s basketball teams have taken their rightful place in school history.
Prior to the game Wednesday night between the No. 1 Huskies and Big East rival Villanova, UConn hung championship banners along the Huskies of Honor wall in the rafters at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. The occasion marked the 10th anniversary of both teams’ titles, with several players winning double championships in those years.
Head coach Geno Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey, who has been by Auriemma’s side for 12 national titles and now in her 41st season, greeted the 10 former players who were in attendance.
The players on hand, who entered through a line of the current team members, were Kiah Stokes, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Tierney Lawlor, Briana Pulido, Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, Breanna Stewart, Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier.
Unable to attend were Gabby Williams, Sanyia Chong, Kia Nurse, Courtney Ekmark and Natalie Butler.
The Class of 2016 won the final of four consecutive national championships for the Huskies and ended their college careers with a record of 151-5.
The terrific 12
Here is how the 2015 and ’16 teams stand, record-wise, among the dozen Huskies national title teams.
1995 UConn (35-0)
2000 UConn (36-1)
2002 UConn (39-0)
2003 UConn (37-1)
2004 UConn (31-4)
2009 UConn (39-0)
2010 UConn (39-0)
2013 UConn (35-4)
2014 UConn (40-0)
2015 UConn (38-1)
2016 UConn (38-0)
2025 UConn (37-3)
The UConn women's basketball team celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its 2015 and 2016 NCAA championships and the induction into the Huskies of Honor before the start of the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images2015 Huskies (38-1) revisited
The 2015 squad won the third of four consecutive NCAA Tournaments by defeating Notre Dame in the national championship game in Tampa, Fla. For Geno Auriemma, it was his 10th championship, tying him with John Wooden for the most in NCAA Division I history – both men and women.
Moriah Jefferson and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led the Huskies with 15 points each. Morgan Tuck added 12 points and Breanna Stewart had 15 rebounds. Auriemma didn’t turn to his bench much, with the starters playing all but 13 of the available minutes.
The Huskies lost in overtime at Stanford, 88-86, in the second game of the season in mid-November but did not lose again that season. Or the next one. In fact, they won 111 consecutive games, not losing ahead until the national semifinals in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
2016 Huskies (38-0) revisited
The Huskies steamrolled the competition all season, including in the national championship game, when they crushed Syracuse (30-8) by an 82-51 score in Indianapolis.
For the Huskies, it was their sixth perfect season. Their combined margin of victory in their two Final Four games against Oregon State and Syracuse was a record 60.
The UConn trio of All-Americans – Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson – led the Huskies.
Stewart’s line consisted of 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the title game. Tuck scored 19 and added seven rebounds and five assists. Jefferson added 13 points, three rebounds and five assists.
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