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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, February 28, 2010

No. 1 UConn rolls to 68th win in row


Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Georgetown's Ta'Shauna Rodgers, right, has her shot blocked by Connecticut's Tina Charles in the first half.

JESSICA HILL | Associated Press

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HARTFORD, Conn. — Tina Charles turned Connecticut's senior day celebration into a personal showcase, leading UConn to its 68th consecutive win and the Big East regular-season conference title.

UConn's senior center scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as UConn (29-0, 15-0) beat No. 13 Georgetown, 84-62, yesterday.

The Huskies can tie their own record for the longest winning streak in women's Division I basketball with wins tomorrow at No. 7 Notre Dame and next Sunday in the conference tournament.

"Coach always says we're playing to make history," Charles said. "But in the back of our minds, we know what our goals are, and that's to win every championship that's thrown our way.

This is UConn's 18th regular-season title, and fourth straight.

Freshman Sugar Rodgers and Monica McNutt each scored 13 for the Hoyas (24-5, 12-3), who led the Huskies for almost 10 minutes in the first half.

"They can score quickly in transition," Georgetown coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "Next thing you know, you're down by six, next thing you know they go and score three offensive possessions and then you're down too far."

Charles moved into third place on the school's career scoring list with 2,166 points. She needs 13 points and just five rebounds on Monday night to take the top spot in both categories.

"It would definitely be great after I leave and look back on my career at UConn," Charles said. "But, right now, I'm just doing whatever it takes for us to win."

Charles and Greene were joined in UConn's starting lineup by fellow seniors Kaili McLaren, Meghan Gardler and Jacquie Fernandes, who were all playing their final home game.

UConn's senior class has compiled a mark of 136-6 in four years, including four straight regular-season conference titles.

The Huskies trailed 15-9 before going on a 16-7 run for a 25-22 lead and did not trail again.

Maya Moore's layup just before the halftime buzzer made it 45-35.

NO. 2 STANFORD 75, ARIZONA 48

Kayla Pedersen scored 26 points, Nemkadi Ogwumike added 15 and the visiting Cardinal (27-1, 17-0 Pac-10) broke away from a 32-27 halftime lead to romp past the Wildcats (13-14, 6-10).

Jayne Appel and Jeanette Pohlen each had 11 points, and Appel grabbed nine rebounds to gave her 1,218 for her career, passing former Southern Cal star Lisa Leslie's conference record of 1,214 set from 1990-94.

NO. 3 NEBRASKA 67, MISSOURI 51

Kelsey Griffin scored 19 points, with a school-record 17 coming from the free-throw line, and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds to lead the host Cornhuskers (27-0, 14-0 Big 12) over the Tigers (11-16, 1-13) before a crowd of 13,595 — the first sellout in Nebraska program history.

Three nights after clinching its first Big 12 regular-season championship, the Cornhuskers overcame some early sloppiness to roll to their 22nd win by a double-digit margin.

NO. 7 NOTRE DAME 72, SETON HALL 47

Lindsay Schrader scored 12 points and the visiting Irish (25-3, 12-3 Big East) closed both halves with big runs to rout the Pirates (9-19, 1-14) heading into tomorrow night's game against No. 1 Connecticut.

NO. 8 WEST VIRGINIA 69, MARQUETTE 56

Korinne Campbell scored 21 points, and the host Mountaineers (26-3, 13-2 Big East) opened the second half with a 20-6 run to take control and beat the Golden Eagles (14-14, 5-10) to finish a perfect 17-0 at home this season.

NO. 11 OKLAHOMA 75, NO. 14 TEXAS 60

Nyeshia Stevenson made six 3-pointers on her way to 28 points and the visiting Sooners (20-8, 10-4 Big 12) used a 19-2 run in the first half to build a big lead, then a 10-0 run at the start of the second to beat the Longhorns (19-9, 8-6).

NO. 12 TEXAS A&M 95, COLORADO 61

Adaora Elonu scored 21 points, Danielle Adams had 19 and the visiting Aggies (20-7, 8-6) used an 18-2 run for a 25-13 lead and continued to pull away from the Lady Buffs (13-14, 3-11) in the second half.

NO. 15 IOWA STATE 48, KANSAS STATE 39

Chelsea Poppens scored 18 points and the host Cyclones (22-5, 10-4 Big 12 Conference), second nationally in 3-point shooting accuracy, made just 1 of 12 from long range to scratch out a victory over the Wildcats (12-16, 4-10).

NO. 18 ST. JOHN'S 69, VILLANOVA 42

Da'Shena Stevens scored 22 points and the host Red Storm (23-5, 11-4 Big East) used an 18-2 run for a 27-11 lead and never looked back in cruising past the Wildcats (13-15, 2-13) for their highest victory total in 26 years.

NO. 19 GONZAGA 86, SAN FRANCISCO 35

Heather Bowman scored 21 points after coming back from an ankle injury and the visiting Zags (25-4, 14-0 West Coast Conference) opened up a 40-11 lead with a 20-0 first-half run in rolling past the Dons (5-26, 1-13).

NO. 24 HARTFORD 61, VERMONT 51

Diana Delva scored 22 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, helping the host Hawks (25-3, 16-0 America East) hold off the Catamounts (23-6, 13-3), who cut a 10-point deficit to 52-51 with 2:05 left.