Connecticut’s NCAA-record 90-game winning streak in women’s basketball is over.
The Huskies fell to Stanford in Maples Pavilion on Thursday night, 71-59. The No. 9 Cardinal (9-2) grabbed an early lead from No. 1 UConn (12-1) and never surrendered it, staying ahead of the Huskies throughout the contest.
Stanford’s brightest star by far was senior guard Jeanette Pohlen, who led the Cardinal with 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Pohlen went 8-of-15 from the floor, including going 5-of-9 on three-point attempts; she was also a perfect 10-for-10 in free-throw shooting.
Defensively, the Cardinal severely limited UConn’s potent offense, including star forward Maya Moore. Moore, the most dominant figure in the Huskies’ record streak, only scored 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Overall, UConn only shot 33.3 percent from the floor, and 32.1 percent from three-point range.
UConn last lost a game in 2008, in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, also to Stanford. The two teams last met in the 2009 NCAA finals, where the Huskies prevailed, 53-47.
The game marked Tara VanDerveer’s 650th career victory as Stanford’s head coach and her 802nd overall, and it improves her lifetime record against UConn to 6-6.
UConn’s 90-game winning streak was the longest such run since John Wooden’s 1971-1974 UCLA men’s basketball team won 88 straight. The streak included two national championships for head coach Geno Auriemma, who has won seven NCAA titles at the school.