Record-breaking Lady Huskies advance to NCAA championship tournament

STORRS — The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team set another record Monday night in South Bend, Ind., where they beat Notre Dame to win their 71st straight game. That broke the team’s own record of 70 games for the longest winning streak in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history.

The dominant Lady Huskies, who went on to defeat West Virginia in the Big East tournament championship Tuesday night, extended the record to 72 and prepared to begin the NCAA Tournament Championship this week.

In breaking their 70-game streak, the Lady Huskies won all 71 consecutive games by double-digit margins. During the span, the team averaged a margin of victory of 32.5 points.

In a statement released Tuesday, Sen. Chris Dodd congratulated the team.

“What an incredible accomplishment,� he said. “By breaking their own record of consecutive victories, our Lady Huskies have proven why they have the best program in the history of women’s college basketball. Congratulations to Coach Geno, the players and the University on such a historic achievement.�

As of Tuesday, UConn had moved to 32-0 for a second straight season and the fifth time since 1994-95 and was 153-53 all-time against ranked opponents. This is the 17th season in which UConn has been the Big East Tournament’s number-one seed.

UConn advanced to the Big East Championship game for the sixth straight season and the 16th time in the last 17 years overall. The team improved to 20-2 all-time in the semifinal round of the tournament. The Lady Huskies have won each of their last 33 games played at the XL Center and boast an all-time record of 107-11 at the facility.