NEW YORK – Number 88 is in the books. UConn ran and hid from tenth-ranked Ohio State, with an 81-50 defeat of the Buckeyes at Madison Square Garden. The featured game of the Maggie Dixon Classic saw the UConn women tie the UCLA record with their 88th consecutive victory. The tempo free efficiency numbers illustrate the Huskies’ dominance.
Possessions
UConn 82
Ohio State 87
Offensive Efficiency
UConn 98
Ohio State 58
The offensive efficiency of Ohio State was 58. It’s a paltry number by offensive standards but a phenomenal show of dominance on the part of UConn’s defense. That is .58 (efficiency is points per possession * 100) points per possession. Geno Auriemma’s club entered the game averaging in the high 60s possessions per game; Ohio State was averaging 75 possessions per game. Both teams played faster than normal and it worked to UConn’s advantage. The Huskies made a concerted effort to push the ball. “We definitely planned to come out and run,” point guard Tiffany Hayes said. “We wanted to get the rebound and get out and run.”
Hayes was outstanding, a game-high 26 points with 4 assists and 6 boards. Maya Moore added 22 points. Freshman center Stefanie Dotson scored two points on one of two shooting from the field. Dotson played a solid all around game adding a team high 15 rebounds and blocking three shots in 25 minutes.
Defensively the Huskies held Ohio State (8-2) to 27 percent shooting from the floor. The nation’s leading scorer, 6-4 Jantel Lavender, scored 14 (7 of 21 shooting) points, a dozen below her average. She and Tayler Hill paced the Buckeyes with 14 points each.
Next for UConn (10-0) is a meeting with Florida State in Hartford on Tuesday for the potential record setting 89th consecutive victory.
With the victory behind them, talk turned to comparisons with UCLA’s streak. Perhaps Maya Moore summed it up most accurately and thoroughly. “It was different times but there were things that were similar,” she said. “Both teams (UCLA men and UConn women) shared a similar level of competitiveness. Both had expectation levels above that of anyone else.”
Beyond the record, Moore hopes UConn is remembered in another light. “We want people to realize how much we love and respect the game. We want that to show in the way we play it.”
