STORRS, Conn. – For the first time since the 2001-02 season and the second time in program history, five Huskies have earned All-American recognition from the Associated Press as announced by the organization Tuesday morning. Sophomore standout Breanna Stewart (Syracuse, N.Y.) headlined the squad as a unanimous First Team All-American selection. The senior duo of Bria Hartley (North Babylon, N.Y.) and Stefanie Dolson (Port Jervis, N.Y.) both earned Second Team choices. Sophomore Moriah Jefferson (Glenn Heights, Texas) and junior Pre-Season All-American Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) were recognized with Honorable Mention laurels.
The feat marks the second time in program history that five Connecticut players have received AP recognition. In 2001-02, the combination of Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Diana Taurasi, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams collected five AP All-American accolades en route to winning the first of what would be three consecutive National Championships.
Breanna Stewart becomes the first Husky to earn AP First Team All-American accolades since Maya Moore in the 2010-11 season and collects UConn’s 17th First Team nod in program history. A Preseason All-American, Stewart leads the Huskies with an average 19.4 points per game and ranks second on the UConn roster in rebounding with 8.1 boards per contest. Stewart not only delivers on the offensive end, but the 6-4 forward leads the squad with 106 blocks on the season, helping UConn set a new NCAA single-season record for rejections with 313.
Among her numerous career numbers this season, Stewart registered a career-high in points after she netted 37 against Temple in January, representing the eighth-highest total by a Husky in program history. She has logged 11 double-doubles this season and scored more than 20 points on 20 occasions. Opponents have held Stewart to fewer than 10 points in just two games this season. The American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, Stewart went on to lock up the league’s Player of the Year award before earning Most Outstanding Player in the American Tournament by averaging 21.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in UConn’s run to the inaugural championship. The Syracuse native was named a USBWA All-American earlier this week along with fellow New Yorkers Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley. Stewart is also a finalist for the Wade Trophy, the Wooden Award, and the Naismith Trophy. EspnW.com also chose Stewart as their Player of the Year recipient.
Bria Hartley collects her first All-American honor from the Associated Press after being named a State Farm First Team All-American in 2011-12. The senior has been exceptional in her final season at Connecticut, averaging 16.3 points per game and dishing out 166 assists. On Feb. 19, Hartley earned membership to an elite UConn club when she grabbed her 500th rebound to join Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi as the only trio to amass 1,500 points/500 assists/500 rebounds. The senior currently owns 1,968 career points, needing 32 to become just the eighth Husky to reach 2,000 career points. Her 255 3-point field goals ranks fifth all-time at Connecticut. Hartley is a finalist for the Wade and Wooden Awards and was named a USBWA All-American.
Stefanie Dolson, the 2013-14 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winner, enters the Final Four averaging 12.4 points per game and leading the team in rebounding with 9.2 boards per contest. The senior ranks 11th all-time in program scoring with 1,770 career points and joins the elite company of Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Rebecca Lobo, and Jamelle Elliott to register at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Dolson also boasts the distinction of joining Kara Wolters as the only two Huskies to four-peat as conference All-Tournament selections. To top the list, the senior recorded just the program’s second triple-double against Oregon on Nov. 20 before Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis posted the third. Dolson is also a finalist for the Wade and Wooden Awards and joined Hartley and Stewart with her second consecutive USBWA All-American laurels.
Moriah Jefferson, the spark plug of the UConn starting lineup, has been exceptional in her sophomore season. Her 99 steals and 184 assists lead the team and represent the second-highest totals by a sophomore in program history. Her assists-to-turnover ratio of 2.9 ranks 12th in Division I and is on pace to shatter numbers posted by some of UConn’s most accomplished point guards in their respective sophomore seasons, including Diana Taurasi (2.51 in 2001-02), Sue Bird (2.00 in 1999-2000), and Renee Montgomery (1.72 in 2006-07). Jefferson also averages 10.2 points per game and leads the team with a 58.2 field goal percentage on the season. In her last seven games she has been exceptional, shooting 68.1 percent from the floor and 66.6 from behind the 3-point arc in that span. A 2013-14 American All-Conference First Team Selection, Jefferson is one of five finalists for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award, awarded to the nation’s top point guard.
Despite an injury-plagued junior season, perhaps no player has been more clutch down the stretch than Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. The junior averages 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game but has been exceptional in UConn’s four NCAA Tournament games thus far. The California native is averaging 17.2 point and 9.5 rebounds in Tournament play, including UConn’s third-ever triple-double performance against Saint Joseph’s in the Second Round and a follow-up double-double against BYU in the Regional Semifinals. The AP Preseason All-American was named to the American All-Conference Second Team and earned a spot on the league’s All-Tournament Team. In recognition of her dominant performance in Nebraska this past weekend the junior forward was named Most Outstanding Player of the Lincoln Region.
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