UConn Women Rout Notre Dame for 9th Title

Geno Auriemma and Connecticut stand alone in women's college basketball, and they reached the top in unprecedented fashion. The Huskies routed Notre Dame 79-58 in the first championship game featuring undefeated teams, winning their record ninth national title and their second in a row. Auriemma broke a tie with Pat Summitt and Tennessee for most all-time titles. "We beat a great, great team," Auriemma says. "Notre Dame is a great team. For them to have the season they had and lose their starting center and to do what they did, I can't say enough about their players, coaching staff and it took everything we have."

The victory also meant that UConn is now the center of the college basketball world with both the men's and women's teams winning the championship in the same year. It was the fifth unbeaten season for Auriemma and UConn and the first time the Huskies went 40-0—matching Baylor as the only schools to accomplish that feat. The loss was Notre Dame's third in the title game in the past four years. Kayla McBride finished off her stellar career with 21 points to lead the Irish, who were looking for their first championship since 2001. (More UConn Huskies stories.)