STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford really does have Connecticut’s number.
Top-ranked UConn’s record 90-game winning streak in women’s basketball ended last night when No. 9 Stanford outplayed the Huskies from the start in a 71-59 victory at Maples Pavilion — where the Cardinal have their own streak going.
Stanford hasn’t lost in 52 games at home. The Cardinal took an early 13-point lead and never trailed.
UConn fans accustomed to watching coach Geno Auriemma’s team blow past opponents hadn’t seen a loss since the 2008 NCAA semifinals — Stanford got the Huskies that time, too, 82-73 in the Final Four at Tampa.
“At some point reality had to set in, and today reality set in,” Auriemma said. “I’m not destroyed about it. Winning that many games in a row, it’s unheard of.”
These teams have a bit of a history. Last season, Stanford almost beat UConn in the national championship game before losing 53-47.
Jeanette Pohlen hit five 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 31 points for the Cardinal (9-2). Huskies star Maya Moore was held to 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
“I thought we let it get away from us,” Auriemma said. “I think the atmosphere and what was going on and when Maya couldn’t get going early. I think it affected the rest of our guys. We just didn’t play like ourselves. Give credit to Stanford. I think they played an unbelievably good game.”
Last week, the Huskies (12-1) topped the 88-game winning streak set by John Wooden’s UCLA men’s team from 1971-74 by beating No. 22 Florida State 93-62, then won their 90th in a row this week at Pacific.
“When you see what happens tonight and how it happened, I think you can appreciate it even more what it took to get to that point and how many things can go wrong and how you can have bad nights,” Auriemma said.
He said such a winning streak requires good players, luck and “that all your best players have to play great every night.
And we didn’t get that tonight.”
Pohlen sealed it with six free throws in the final 42.5 seconds. She shot 8-for-15 overall and had nine rebounds and six assists. Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 12 points and six rebounds and Kayla Pedersen 11 rebounds for an inspired Stanford squad that held a 43-36 advantage on the boards.
Kelly Faris scored 19 points and Bria Hartley 14 for the Huskies, who never found their usual dominant form while playing in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 7,329-plus for this highly anticipated, nationally televised showdown between the top programs from either coast.
“I think that’s an incredible, incredible accomplishment,” Stanford Tara VanDerveer said of UConn’s run. “Since we last played them and beat them, we’ve lost eight games — and two of them were to them. I’m really proud of our team for really stepping up and not being intimidated by the streak. Tonight was our night.”