University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma tied Tennessee coaching legend Pat Summit for the most titles of all time, when the Huskies topped Louisville, 90-63, in the NCAA championship game Tuesday night.
"The only person I compare myself to is Pat Summitt and to be there in that spot with her means a lot to me," Auriemma told reporters after winning his eigth title. "The fact that I tied Pat Summitt's record puts you in the category of the greatest women's basketball coach that ever lived."
After the game, Summit released a statement, through her son Tyler, congratulating Auriemma on the win. Summit stepped down from her coaching position because she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
"Congratulations to Geno Auriemma and the Connecticut Huskies on a remarkable season and an eighth national title," she said in the statement. "Geno is a proven champion and a leader in our game. My best to him, his family, his team and staff."
Auriemma got a huge performance from his star freshman Breanna Stewart. Stewart finished the game with 23 points and went 3-for-3 from the arc.
"This is unbelievable," Stewart told reporters. "This is what we've thought about since the beginning of the season. And now to be here and actually win it, it's a great feeling and I don't think it's going to set in for a while. I just played really confident and stopped thinking. When I second-guess myself, nothing good comes out of that."
The Cardinals, were not able to follow in the footsteps of the men’s team, who won a national championship the night before. But they did make history. In addition to becoming the first No. 5 seed to make it to the national championship game, they also defeated No. 1 overall seed Baylor in the Sweet 16.
"The run we went on was remarkable and something I'll always remember" Cardinal coach Jeff Walz said. "We're walking out with our head high and proud of what we've done."
The Huskies also got big performances from guard Kelly Faris (16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists) and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
"We made a miracle run in this tournament and will remember that the rest of their lives," Sara Hammond, who scored 15 points in the loss.
This year marked the last season that both teams will be in the Big East Conference. Both are heading to the American Athletic Conference for the next season. Then, starting in the 2014-2015 season, Louisville will join teams like Duke and North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference.