UConn reigns supreme for 11th time with 82-51 win over Syracuse

Posted: April 5, 2016 -- 11:55 pm CDT.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Bankers Life Fieldhouse) -- The Connecticut Huskies made quick work of the upstart Syracuse Orange Tuesday night in the final game of the 2015-'16 NCAA Division I women's college basketball season. The Huskies raced to a 13-4 lead which grew to 20-6 then 28-13 after the first quarter. UConn dominated the game with a 82-51 victory in front of 14,514 screaming fans.

The victory is the 11th national championship in Connecticut's history.

Eleven trips to the championship game.

Eleven championships.

11-0.

Breanna Stewart capped her sensational college career with her 4th Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four award. Stewart scored 24 points (7/17 field goals); pulled down 10 rebounds; and dished 6 assists to guide the Huskies to the victory.

Stewart and teammates Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck became the only collegiate players to win four consecutive national championships.

"It was the perfect ending," Stewart said after the game. "I'm not sure what word you can use to describe it. We had a goal coming in as freshmen, and now as seniors we did that. We did what we wanted to do. And it was a lot of fun."

Jefferson, Stewart, and Tuck finish their college careers as they began: champions. Four-time national champions.

With 1:57 remaining in the game, Jefferson, Stewart, and Tuck checked out of the game for the last time in the storied UConn college careers.

"It was kind of like when we all came off the court at Gample (Gample Pavilion - the Huskies' home arena)," Stewart acknowledged. "You know, doing this together, building, becoming better people together, becoming better players since our freshman year, and to walk off after we've accomplished this, you know, there's no better way to do it than all of us go off at the same time."

"I don't think I could say it any better," said senior point guard Moriah Jefferson. "It was definitely a special moment, something that you'll remember for the rest of your life. And we're just so excited that we got a chance to do something that we did. Four in a row is amazing. I'm just happy that I did it with these two.

"They said it all. It's just a great feeling," Morgan Tuck summarized.

The Huskies removed much of the drama from the championship game with a 50-23 lead at halftime; however, Syracuse enjoyed a 16-0 run in the third quarter to spark some life to their fans. But, UConn freshman Napheesa Collier scored the final four points of the third quarter, UConn led 64-43 going to the fourth quarter.

Syracuse did not score a point during the final 3 minutes and thirty-six seconds of the game.

Geno Auriemma: "It's hard to describe something that's never been done before." #GotEleven pic.twitter.com/KytxY4BMJh

— Kris M Gardner (@TheHRReview) April 6, 2016

"I know it's not exactly what everybody wants to hear," Geno Auriemma, UConn head coach said. "But, these are not things that are just easily -- that you easily put words to. Even us as coaches, you know, we looked at each other after the game and we just kind of shake our heads. It's so unusual.

"Kids play their whole lives from the time they're 10 to the time they're 22, trying to get to one Final Four, hoping they win one national championship. And you look over here and it's four in a row.

"And I've tried to keep it more in what are they thinking, what are they feeling like, what's going through their minds. So, I'm not really internalizing myself, and said, 'okay, here's what I think about it.' Maybe that will come later. But right now I'm really in, like, I wish I could be in their heads to know what they're thinking and how they're feeling.

"After all, that's why we do this, right? We coach or we teach or you raise kids because you want them to accomplish things that you never did or that are really hard to do and enjoy doing it and have a love of it. And they do. And us as coaches, we're so busy doing that, we don't have time to sit and think about what it means to us. We will, at some point we will. For sure. That's just not yet."

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