Stanford ends Connecticut’s winning streak at 90

Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma has said that winning 90 consecutive games was exciting. But it wasn’t so enthralling that he ever believed the Huskies were invincible.

Once the streak got rolling Nov. 16, 2008, against Georgia Tech, it just kept going, taking on a life of its own, picking up steam, two national championships and two undefeated seasons on its way to Maples Pavilion.

But Auriemma knew — everyone knew — that it had to end.

Well, it happened Thursday when No. 9 Stanford, the last team that had defeated Connecticut, in a national semifinal in 2008, completed the cycle by defeating the top-ranked Huskies, 71-59.

“Reality set in,” Auriemma said.

So ends the longest winning streak in NCAA basketball history, surpassing by two the previous record, set by the UCLA men under John Wooden in 1971-74.

“We’re very excited about how well our team played. Tonight was Stanford’s night,” Coach Tara VanDerveer said. “It’s not a national championship, but this was a great night for us.”

The streak ended because of senior Jeanette Pohlen (31 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and the perseverance of her teammates, who were not fazed by an 11-2 Connecticut run at the end of the first half.

“I never felt that Stanford would run away with the game. But when I look at the film, I’ll see things we could have done differently, for sure.” Auriemma said.

Pohlen’s three-point basket put Stanford ahead, 3-0, and Connecticut never led.

“Still, I thought we showed moments of fight,” Maya Moore said.

The Huskies made 20 of 61 shots. Kelly Faris led them with 19 points. But Moore, chased around by a series of defenders, scored only 14 points.

“We had our stretches, but they didn’t last long enough,” Faris said. “They hit at us and we didn’t hit hard enough back.”

The Huskies (12-1) trailed, 34-30, at halftime and were never able to get closer than four points in the second half because Pohlen would not allow it.

“I told the team it was 0-0,” Stanford’s Kayla Pedersen said. “We had to win the next game, too.”

Pohlen’s two three-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the second half helped Stanford (9-2) take a 55-44 lead with 8 minutes 34 seconds to play.

The Huskies fell behind by as many as 13 points in the first 10 minutes, succumbing to Stanford’s perimeter shooting. Pohlen and Lindy La Rocque made four of five three-point shots, and the Cardinal kept the defensive pressure for a long time.

The player most affected by that pressure was Moore, Connecticut’s leading scorer (24.8 points per game), who did not score for the first 16 minutes.

“She’s human,” VanDerveer said.