2000-2001 Huskies UCONNONNECTICUT ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS ~ CONTACT: ANNMARIE PERSON OR GAIL WILKINS ~ NOTES FOR FEB. 14, 2001 C PHONE: (860) 486-3531 ~ FAX: (860) 486-5085 PROBABLE STARTERS VS. RUTGERS #3/3 CONNECTICUT (20-2/10-1) 10 Sue Bird G Jr. 5-9 Syosset, NY 33 Shea Ralph G Sr. 6-0 Fayetteville, NC vs. 3 Diana Taurasi G Fr. 6-0 Chino, CA #11/14 RUTGERS (17-5/9-2) 32 Swin Cash F Jr. 6-2 McKeesport, PA AP/ESPN-USA TODAY 34 Tamika Williams F Jr. 6-2 Dayton, OH 7:30 p.m. EST, February 14, 2001 OFF THE BENCH Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, CT 23 Kennitra Johnson G So. 5-7 New Albany, IN 15 Asjha Jones F/C Jr. 6-2 Piscataway, NJ 2000-2001 CONNECTICUT SCHEDULE 20 Morgan Valley G Fr. 6-0 Colchester, VT 11 Kelly Schumacher C Sr. 6-5 Quyon, Quebec NOVEMBER 5 Maria Conlon G Fr. 5-9 Derby, CT 12 STATE FARM TIP-OFF CLASSIC (HCC) #12 ODU vs. #13 Penn State- espn2 PSU 99, ODU 72 44 Christine Rigby C Sr. 6-6 Victoria, B.C. #1 UConn vs. #3 Georgia- ESPN W, 99-70 13 Marci Czel G Sr. 5-7 Guilford, CT 21 at Pepperdine- CPTV W, 98-63 Television Coverage: CPTV, WNJN 24 at Washington- CPTV W, 100-54 Bob Picozzi (play-by-play), Meghan Pattyson (analyst) Leah Secondo (play-by-play), Gregg Mace (analyst) 29 GEORGE WASHINGTON (HCC)- CPTV W, 90-63 Radio Coverage: UConn Radio Network DECEMBER WTIC (1080-AM); WILI (1400-AM);WSUB (980-AM); WLIS (1420-AM); 5 *at Miami- CPTV W, 77-53 WNLK (1350-AM); WSTC (1400-AM); WMRD (1150-AM); WICC (600-AM). 7 HOLY CROSS (GP)- CPTV W, 92-32 THE GAME 10 at Illinois- CPTV W, 97-55 The Connecticut Huskies (20-2, 10-1) used a 16-2 run midway 22 WAKE FOREST (GP)- CPTV W, 107-52 through the second half to lift UConn to a deciding 78-53 win 30 #2 TENNESSEE (HCC)- CBS W, 81-76 over the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. Swin Cash and Diana Taurasi JANUARY led the Huskies with 16 points apiece. Since UConn's loss to 2 *GEORGETOWN (GP)- CPTV W, 107-45 the Lady Vols, the Huskies have outscored its last three oppo- 7 at #8 Louisiana Tech- espn2 W, 71-55 nents, 243-130. UConn is looking for its 11th conference win 9 *at Syracuse- CPTV W, 76-63 versus the Scarlet Knights this evening. Rutgers is riding a six- 13 *PROVIDENCE (GP)- CPTV W, 104-49 game winning streak into tonight's contest. The Scarlet Knights 15 *at #3 Notre Dame- ESPN L, 92-76 haven't lost since a 65-78 decision at Villanova on January 1 8 OLD DOMINION (GP)- CPTV W, 80-51 20. The loss to 'Nova was only the second conference loss for 20 *at Pittsburgh- CPTV W, 83-43 the Knights (the other was at Notre Dame-, 46-67). Rutgers, 23 *MIAMI (GP)- CPTV W, 81-45 ranked 11th in the AP poll and 13th in the ESPN/USA TODAY 27 *SYRACUSE (HCC)- CPTV W, 85-60 coaches poll, was ranked as high as 7th during the week of FEBRUARY Nov. 20. 1 at #3 Tennessee- ESPN L, 92-88 4 *VILLANOVA (GP)- CPTV W, 75-39 THE SERIES 7 *at Virginia Tech- CPTV W, 90-38 UConn holds a 10-1 edge over Rutgers since the all-time se- 11 *at Boston College- Fox W, 78-53 ries began in 1996. The Huskies have won the last five meet- 14 *RUTGERS (GP)- CPTV 7:30 p.m. ings, since the Knights upset the Huskies, 74-70, in Piscataway 18 *at Villanova- CPTV Noon in 1998. The Huskies were ranked No .2 at the time of the con- 20 *WEST VIRGINIA (HCC)- CPTV 7:30 p.m. test, while Rutgers was unranked.Overall, UConn is 6-0 at home 23 *ST. JOHN’S (GP)- CPTV 7:30 p.m. versus the Knights, 3-1 in Piscataway and 1-0 in neutral games. 27 *at Seton Hall- CPTV 7:00 p.m. THE SPECIAL DAY MARCH UConn is 5-2 on Valentine’s Day, but has not played on the 3-6 BIG EAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT day in eight years. The Huskies' last contest on Feb. 14 came (Harry A. Gampel Pavilion-Storrs, CT) during the 1993 season in a 59-51 loss at Miami. However, Con- 16/18 or NCAA First & Second Rounds- Campus Sites necticut is 2-0 in home games on Valentine’s Day (2/14/78, 17/19 Bridgewater St., 99-79 and 2/14/86, New Hampshire, 77-53). 25/27 NCAA Regional Tournament- TBA Rutgers had won its first four games on the day until the ar- 30-April 1NCAA Final Four- Savvis Center, St. Louis, MO rival of C. Vivian Stringer who, in her first season, dropped a Home Games in Bold Caps 59-50 decision to Boston College. Since then she has bounced GP- Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, HCC- Hartford Civic Center back with a 79-64 win over Seton Hall on 2/14/98 giving the All Times EST and Subject To Change Scarlet Knights a 5-1 record on V-Day. http://www.UConnHuskies.com 24-HOUR SNET HUSKY SPORTS HOTLINE -- 860-486-5050 2000-2001 CONNECTICUT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTES ~ PAGE 2 LOTS OF WINS long range and .658 from the line. Pointer has scored 252 points Tonight two of the winningest coaches in the collegiate game to Birds 216 and has 8.2 assists per game to Bird’s 5.5, but Pointer will go head to head. Combined the two have been coach- also spends 34 percent more time on the floor than does Bird. ing for 43 seasons and have won 1,051 games. Along with In fact, Pointer is the only Scarlet Knight who is averaging more Villanova’s Harry Peretta, the three are they only BIG EAST than 30 minutes per game as she clocks 36.3 per outing. coaches to have recorded over 400 wins during their careers. CLOSE CALL SIMILAR START Last season Rutgers nearly knocked off UConn in the final regu- Tonight will mark the 510th game of Geno Auriemma’s career lar season meeting between the two schools as the Huskies and the only thing separating him from having the exact same escaped with a 49-45 win. That was the last time a Connecti- record through 509 games as did C. Vivian Stringer is the two cut team was held under 50 points and the only time in the losses this season. past seven seasons. It was also the only time in the Auriemma era that the Huskies won a game and scored under 50 points. STRINGER AT IOWA Until she came to Rutgers, C. Vivian Stringer was a perfect 3-0 THE RUTGERS GRAD against UConn as the head coach at Iowa. In the three meet- A 1982 graduate of Rutgers, UConn Associate Head Coach ings with the Hawkeyes since Stringer left the University, Iowa Chris Dailey was both a player and an assistant coach for the has never beaten the Huskies. Scarlet Knights. Combined she helped the school to a 147-41 record. In 1992, Dailey was inducted into the Rutgers Univer- PIPELINE TO WNBA sity Lady Knight Hall of Fame as a member of the 1982 Na- Geno Auriemma and C. Vivian Stringer have collectively sent tional Championship team. 13 players to the next level as part of the WNBA. THE OTHER RUTGERS GRAD UCONN DOMINANCE Among her favorite television shows, UConn’s Tamika Williams Rutgers is one of three BIG EAST teams that has never defeated lists Ally McBeal. The star of the show, Calista Flockhart, is a UConn on the Huskies home court. Notre Dame is one of the 1988 graduate of Rutgers University. other two with a 0-6 record in Connecticut and Virginia Tech has never had the opportunity. With a UConn victory tonight, THE UPSET the Scarlet Knights would move to 0-7 on UConn’s court, which Three Rutgers players in tonight’s game were involved in the would be the worst record of any member of the league. On game on Feb. 10, 1998, in which the Scarlet Knights defeated the same note, Connecticut is the only BIG EAST school that UConn, 74-70. Linda Miles, Tasha Pointer and Tammy Sutton- holds a winning record against Rutgers. One third of the con- Brown combined for 49 percent of Rutgers scoring in that ference losses C. Vivian Stringer has suffered as the head game and 58 percent of the rebounds. As Miles led Rutgers coach at Rutgers have come against UConn. with 18 points, that game marked the last time a BIG EAST op- ponent managed to beat UConn without its leading scorer STEP IT UP? NO SVET! having to net nearly 30 points or more. In the Notre Dame loss Now without the services of All-American Svetlana Abrosimova, earlier this season, Ruth Riley posted 29. Against Boston Col- the graph below shows who is making the biggest move in lege in 1999, it took 32 from Alissa Murphy. Svetlana Abrosimova terms of averages over the last three games from where they and Kelly Schumacher are the only two UConn players who were prior to Svet's injury to where they are now in the order competed in that game. Both were kept in check with to fill the void in the categories that Abrosimova led the team Abrosimova scoring just six points and Schumacher only see- in.