Here is a photo gallery from the Elite Eight Press Conferences for the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game featuring the UConn Huskies and the Dayton Flyers.
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photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune
Here is a photo gallery from the UConn Huskies vs Texas Longhorns game in the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Times Union Arena in Albany, NY on March 28, 2015.
To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)
photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune
There’s a saying in Texas, “Everything is bigger in Texas”.
Well it rang true for the Texas Longhorns against the UConn women’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon in the Sweet 16. Unfortunately for them, it was the size of the loss.
Breanna Stewart had her NCAA Tournament high of 31 points to lead UConn to the Elite Eight.
Behind 31 points from Breanna Stewart, the UConn women’s basketball team beat the Longhorns 105-54 at the Times Union Arena in snowy Albany, NY to advance to the Elite Eight.
The UConn Huskies will face the Dayton Flyers who pulled off the upset over the Louisville Cardinals.
Stewart finished with a double-double as she also had a game-high 12 rebounds and seven assists. Moriah Jefferson added a career-high 25 points and had six assists while Morgan Tuck had 14 points.
Kia Nurse and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis rounded out the UConn women’s basketball players in double figures with 13 points and 10 points respectively. Kiah Stokes came off the bench to pull down seven rebounds and block four shots.
Ariel Atkins came off the bench to lead the Longhorns with 11 points. Both Brady Sanders and Imani McGee-Stafford had seven points. McGee-Stafford led them with seven rebounds.
UConn Huskies vs Texas Longhorns 2015 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 box score
The Texas Longhorns starting center, Imani McGee-Stafford, is 6’7. Technically, there is no starting center for the UConn women’s basketball team but boasts Breanna Stewart at 6’4.
The Longhorns also have Kelsey Lang, who is 6’5, who sees quality minutes. The next tallest UConn women’s basketball player is Kiah Stokes at 6’3 then Morgan Tuck at 6’2.
So for the UConn women’s basketball team to be successful, they need to stay out of foul trouble for one. Secondly, they need to use their quickness as they did against a taller South Carolina Gamecocks team earlier this season. Thirdly, they need to hit the open shots when the guards penetrate then kick it back out.
If the UConn women’s basketball team can do that, they should be able to move on to the Elite Eight.
Watch and/or listen below as Stokes, Stewart, Tuck, Moriah Jefferson, Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams talk about the challenges that Texas’ height presents.
Both Briana Pulido, known affectionately as Polly to her teammates, and Tierney Lawlor joined the UConn women’s basketball team as walk-ons before the 2013-14 season.
Being a walk-on isn’t a glamorous thing but when you are a part of the UConn women’s basketball team, it can be very special.
For one, you usually have a cult following from the student section at home games. Two, you get to visit some pretty cool places since the UConn women’s basketball team seems to visit many different destinations. Three, you get to become part of a sisterhood with some of the best basketball players in college and ones who have graduated.
Fourthly, if you’re lucky, you might get a national championship ring or two which also gets you into the Huskies of Honor down the line. Lastly, unlike most other schools, you actually to get play and not just be a practice player.
This season, Lawlor has seen action in 32 of UConn women’s basketball’s 35 games while Pulido in 31-of-35. Lawlor has played 124 minutes with Pulido getting 75 minutes. And finally, Lawlor has 13 points with Pulido adding seven.
Not bad for a kid from Ansonia, CT (Lawlor) and a former UConn track and field member and aspiring doctor (Pulido).
Watch and/or listen below as Pulido and Lawlor talk about getting minutes and their experiences as walk-ons with the UConn women’s basketball team.
Here’s an interesting stat for you. There is not one UConn women’s basketball player that was born the last time they didn’t make it to the Sweet 16.
On March 17, 1993, the UConn Huskies were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Louisville Cardinals in the first round. On March 30, 1993, senior Kiah Stokes was born. For good measure, senior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was born on November 3, 1993.
Since then, the UConn women’s basketball team has now gone to at least the Sweet 16 22 straight times. And if they can beat Texas on Saturday, that would be 10 straight appearances in the Elite Eight.
After beating Rutgers on Monday night in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma talked about the accomplishment:
Here is a photo gallery from the media session and open practice for the UConn women’s basketball team in open practice day for the Sweet 16 at the Times Union Arena in Albany, NY.
To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)
photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune
Like every team in college football, the UConn football team finds itself with walk-on players who don’t get scholarships.
Scholarship or not, the walk-on players for any team are the unsung heroes. They might not get any playing time but they are out there grinding with their brothers at every practice just as hard if not harder.
They do it because they want to not because they can. And sometimes, they’ll be rewarded with a scholarship, something that is not uncommon in college sports these days.
The UConn football walk-ons are no exception. They play a vital role in the teams preparation. Some even see quality playing time at important positions.
Watch and/or listen below as UConn football coach Bob Diaco talks about the importance of walk-ons to the football program:
The UConn football team lost one of its most important starters on the offensive line in center Alex Mateas to graduation.
Mateas was backed up by Kyle Bockeloh for most of the 2014 season. But that’s not how things are looking right now during UConn football’s spring practice.
In the two practices we’ve been able to attend for UConn football, Ryan Crozier has gotten the bulk of snaps at center. And for now unless something changes, it looks like it’ll be that way for the foreseeable future.
Watch and/or listen below as UConn football coach Bob Diaco talks about the Crozier “experiment” at center as well as the importance of the younger guys on the offensive line:
When Andreas Knappe came to the UConn football team, he was a raw specimen from Denmark with no set position. After playing two-three plays at defensive end in 2013, he was moved to tackle by head coach Bob Diaco and his staff.
At 6’8″, Knappe had the build and frame to play right tackle. He just didn’t have the skills to do it. Over the 2014 season for the UConn football team, Knappe improved each week and has continued that during spring practice so far.
With the UConn football offensive line still being relatively young, Knappe will once again be counted on in 2015.
Watch/and or listen below as Diaco and Knappe talk about his transformation on the offensive line for the UConn football team: