HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn Coach Geno Auriemma calls it a once-in-a-lifetime thing that his Huskies have now done twice.
Top-ranked UConn tied its NCAA record with its 90th consecutive win, routing No. 20 South Florida 102-37 on Tuesday night.
“Some things you just can’t really explain; you just have to enjoy it.” Auriemma said. “We don’t set out to do these kinds of things. We don’t set out to set records, break records or keep track of records. We set out to play as hard as we can, play with as much energy as we can.”
UConn certainly did that on Tuesday.
Saniya Chong hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 opening run and the Huskies quickly extinguished any USF hopes for an upset.
The Huskies led by 22 after the first 10 minutes.
Another 3-pointer by Chong gave UConn its first 40-point lead at 53-13 with four minutes left in the second quarter.
It was 65-19 at halftime and UConn didn’t let up in the second half in matching the streak Auriemma’s program set between November 2008 and December 2010.
Chong scored 20 points to lead six players in double figures for the Huskies (15-0, 2-0 American Athletic Conference),
Maria Jespersen had 11 points for South Florida (13-2, 2-1 American Athletic Conference), which has never beaten UConn in 21 attempts.
USF Coach Jose Fernandez decided before the game to try to match UConn’s transition game.
But the Huskies were more than able to run with the Bulls. They outscored USF 18-5 in fast-break points and 48-14 in the paint.
Chong had eight of their 31 assists, compared to just three for USF.
“That’s our style,” Fernandez said. “But when you don’t make shots, you give a team more possessions and that’s what happened.”
UConn hasn’t lost since Nov. 17, 2014, at then-No. 6 Stanford, a two-point defeat in overtime. Without that loss, the streak would be 138 games.
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