UConn women's basketball

The wave of emotions that cascaded down on the UConn women’s basketball team Saturday night was unlike any that had been seen since a season-ending loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA national semifinals last April in Indianapolis.

Disappointment. Frustration. Sadness. They were all evident as Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes answered questions in the aftermath of a stunning 57-56 loss to St. John’s at Gampel Pavilion. They were asked to address what happened as No. 4 UConn lost at home to an unranked team for the first time since 1993 and lost at home at all for the first time since 2007. Streaks of 261 and 99 games, respectively, came to a crashing halt.

Of course, the loss stung. But it did not cost the Huskies a shot at a championship or end their season. And, beginning with Tuesday night’s game at Pittsburgh (7; CPTV), it could provide UConn with a beneficial jolt moving forward.

“Obviously, a loss is never good,’’ Dolson said. “No, it’s not good that it happened at this point in the season. But you can always learn things from a loss. So we’re going to take what we did. It kind of makes us realize… Coach (Geno Auriemma) said to us we’re not as good as we think we are. Every game we have to play like it’s our last and just fight out there, and we didn’t do that (Saturday). So I think we just have to learn from this game that it’s just unacceptable to come out this way and play the way we did. We have big games coming up and then we have the tournament.’’

There was a myriad of problems for the Huskies (24-3, 11-2 Big East) against St. John’s. They committed 18 turnovers, which the Red Storm converted into 20 points. They shot 36.0 percent from the field in the second half, scoring 24 points in their second lowest scoring half of the season (23; 2nd half at Louisville Feb. 7). And they forced a season-low nine turnovers and a scored a season-low eight points off of those turnovers.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (3-of-12 FG) and Bria Hartley (5-of-13) were a combined 8-of-25 from the field. Dolson, UConn’s starting center, got herself into early foul trouble and generated only six points and four rebounds in 20 minutes And St. John’s scored 32 points in the paint, which matched the second-most by an opponent this season (Notre Dame, 36 Jan. 7), and 16 second-chance points, which is the most by an opponent this season.

“It really puts us back in check,’’ Stokes said. “Any team can come beat us. It doesn’t matter. Rankings don’t matter. It’s what we do, and we didn’t come to play. We had too many turnovers, and missed too many layups. I let (Shenneika Smith) shoot a 3 to win the game. We could’ve done so much stuff better. I think losing this game shows us in the future that we have to fix so much stuff. Just little things. But it will make us a much better team.’’

The Huskies did have numerous impressive streaks stopped by the Red Storm. But a streak that is even more remarkable remains intact. They have not lost back-to-back games in a span of 682 games dating back to losses to Providence March 7, 1993 and Louisville March 17, 1993.

If this streak falls too then there might be reason for concern. UConn will enter the Petersen Events Center Tuesday having won 26 straight games against Pittsburgh (8-18, 0-13).

“Coming out against Pitt on Tuesday I think is going to be another test for us whether we can bounce back from this loss or not,’’ Stokes said. “I think we can. I think that we when go out on Pitt we’ve really got to show them what kind of team we are. We don’t want them to think they can beat us too. Just because St. John’s beat us it doesn’t mean that any team can. We’ve got to really turn it around right now.’’

The Huskies have three games remaining in the regular season, including a showdown with No. 2 Notre Dame at the XL Center Feb. 27 when they can capture at least a share of their sixth straight Big East regular season championship. The conference tournament and NCAA tournament will follow in the coming weeks.

UConn lost a game. But in the grand scheme of things the season still has every bit of a chance to ultimately be as successful as the Huskies hoped it would.

“Losses are part of the game itself,’’ Auriemma said. “Where we go from here… You can’t predict with this team because there’s no way of looking ahead and saying `Well, I know come Tuesday we’re going to do this. Or I know next Saturday at Marquette we’re going to do this.’ We’ve tried to take it one game at a time, one day at a time, one opportunity at a time and it’s worked so far pretty well. Better than I thought it would going into the season.’’

Rich

Junior guard Caroline Doty broke a tooth early in Saturday’s 57-56 loss to St. John’s at Gampel Pavilion. She had it re-bonded Sunday.

 Doty was inadvertently struck in the face on a play near midcourt just 53 seconds into the game. She was called for a foul on the play before promptly leaving the game.

 Doty returned to the court with 15:01 left in the half. However, she would play only four minutes in each half.

 It was the same tooth Doty broke during an AAU tournament prior to her senior year at Germantown Academy.

 Rich

Stefanie Dolson was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by The Associated Press. She was named to the Preseason Wade Watch List and made the Preseason Wooden Award Top 30.

This was the year Dolson, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, was poised to break out and establish herself as one of truly elite centers in the nation. Yet, as she sat in a chair in the UConn weight room late Saturday night she found herself in tears trying to sum up what she has to do at this point to improve.

It was another lost night in what has been a lost season for Dolson through the first 27 games. She picked up two fouls in the first 4:59 of the game, and finished with only six points (2-of-4 FG) and four rebounds and two turnovers in 20 minutes in a 57-56 loss to St. John’s in the final seconds at Gampel Pavilion.

And in the aftermath of UConn’s first loss at home against an unranked team since 1993, head coach Geno Auriemma did not hold back on his feelings on how Dolson has played this season.

“I don’t think Stefanie Dolson has had a good year at all from Day 1,’’ Auriemma said. “I would think she’d be the first one to tell you that. And if we can’t count on her to score in the post then it puts so much pressure on our perimeter players. And other teams know that. And (Saturday) when she did get the ball in the post, they trapped her really hard and we didn’t do a great job of handling the ball. If you would’ve asked me this two months ago, I would’ve said, `You’re crazy.’ But right now if we throw the ball to Kiah Stokes, we’re probably going to get a better result than if we throw it to Stefanie Dolson. So we’re going to have to go to practice, and we’re going to have to address some of those things. But right now, it’s not anywhere near where I want it to be. I’m really disappointed in it.’’

It marked the fourth time this season that Dolson has picked up two fouls in the first five minutes of the game. She also picked up two with 14:33 left in the first half at Seton Hall Dec. 9 and two with 12:07 left in the first half against Dayton Nov. 27.

Seton Hall and Dayton are subpar teams. Picking up two quick fouls against St. John’s and 4:54 into the game at Baylor Dec. 18 started the Huskies down the path toward defeat. This is, obviously, a point of considerable frustration for Dolson.

“Obviously, I’m not happy with the fact that I got two quick fouls at the beginning of my game because I know my team needs me out there and I want to be out there to help them,’’ Dolson said. “Coach definitely got on me. It’s unacceptable to get that second foul. He kept saying 90 feet from the basket. So, obviously, I’m definitely upset with myself. I think my team needed me out there. I don’t think we had a really good flow of offense when I wasn’t in the game. And that really killed us. I’m definitely upset with myself. So that was probably the biggest frustration for me was getting those dumb fouls and then sitting on the bench because from the bench I am no help with the team.’’

Dolson also failed to reach double figures in scoring for the third time in the last four games and for the 13th time overall this season. It was the 10th time this season that she finished with no more than four rebounds.

“Obviously, I’m frustrated with the way I’m playing because I’m not finishing as much as I should be,’’ Dolson said. “And I don’t think I’m like … I’m just not being aggressive enough. I think I’m too… I don’t know.’’

Dolson has fallen behind Stokes, a 6-3 freshman, right now. Stokes produced 11 points (5-of-6 FG), six rebounds and three blocks in 24 minutes against St. John’s.

Numbers aside, though, Stokes is not overjoyed with her play either at this point.

“Right now we’re not at the highest spot,’’ Stokes said. “In practice we’ve been struggling a little bit, missing layups and that kind of thing. I missed a wide-open layup and it shows. (Auriemma) said you miss a layup in practice you’re going to miss them in a game. But he’s really stressed to us that we need to get it together because we are a main part of this team. And if you don’t have post players he’ll have to play five guards, and he will because he has. But we just need to figure out what we need to do to help this team to take pressure off the guards so that we can play better as a team.

“For me, personally, it’s the physical factor. Just be more physical all the time. And for Stef, I think she might be going through some mental things right now just because we have all the coaches on us all the time. And it really does get frustrating in your head. And it happens to me as well. And (today) in practice we’re really going to step it up and we’re going to show Coach that we deserve to play and this is why we came to Connecticut.’’

Auriemma said that the lack of scoring power forward inside has hurt Dolson this season. All-American Maya Moore took a tremendous amount of pressure off of Dolson last season in the lowpost. She drew the double teams, providing Dolson with a great deal of room to operate.

Auriemma’s patience is wearing thin. The time to win championships is drawing closer by the day for the second-ranked Huskies. And he intimated Saturday that change could be on the horizon.

“You need a four-man that can score to take some of the pressure off there,’’ Auriemma said. “Not having somebody like Maya makes it so much easier for them to trap her. And when you get a big kid who’s not quick enough to get out of the double teams, it’s just a problem. Big guys don’t mind playing against other big guys because you can handle that. But when big guys are playing against smaller guys that are quicker than they are and can get there – it’s like what we did to (Baylor 6-8 All-American) Brittney Griner last year at our place. You surround her with a bunch of little guys – they can’t handle that. And Stefanie’s not handling that real well right now. But Kiah’s getting better, and we’re going to have to make some changes in how we attack defenses from here on in.’’

Rich

The Huskies looked as if they might steal a win tonight at Gampel Pavilion against St. John’s. They had committed 18 turnovers, which the Red Storm converted into 20 points.

Still, UConn found itself leading 56-54 after a layup by Stefanie Dolson with 34.3 seconds left. Certainly the Huskies vaunted defense would hold the Red Storm and seal their 100th straight win at home. Right?

St. John’s coach Kim Barnes Arico called a 30-second timeout with 30.7 seconds left and another with 16.5 seconds left to set up a final play. The play that was drawn up was one that Shenneika Smith said is called “Suns.’’

“I said to my staff at the time, `Should we go for the win here or should we go for the tie,’’’ Barnes Arico said. “And we said, `Why not go for the win? We had Da’Shena (Stevens) on the open-up. So if we didn’t hit Shenneika we were going to go inside to Day. And she wanted it. She’s had a tremendous year. And I think people don’t really recognize that because she does it a lot for us on the defensive end. But tonight she wanted the ball at the end of the game. She asked for the ball.’’

The Red Storm emerged from that timeout. They worked the ball to Smith and she confidently drained a game-winning 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds left.

Bria Hartley’s 3-pointer at the buzzer caromed off the rim as time expired.

“When I caught it I was going to put it up,’’ Smith said. “I’m not going to hesitate. I’m not going to take a second to think about it. I’m just going to shoot. It was either go to overtime or win the game, and Coach said to go win it and that’s what I tried to do. It was our dream to beat them and I got one.

“I was shooting the ball really bad, and for Coach to draw the play up and give me the shot it meant everything. Just coming here to win a game is incredible being that they were going on No. 100. But hitting that shot … Da’Shena gave me that screen. It was big for me.’’

Smith, who finished with 11 points and six rebounds in 39 minutes, had missed 10 of her first 14 shots in the game. She had been 3-of-22 this season from 3-point range and had not even attempted one in the six last games since missing her only attempt against Rutgers Jan. 17.

But Smith rolled off that screen set by Stevens, the former Trinity Catholic star, and confidently made her fourth 3-pointer of the season.

“We were in shootaround today and I said, `Coach, I think tonight I’m going to hit one,’’’ Smith said. “And it happened to be the one to win the game. I swear to God. You can ask her. The last shot I took in shootaround was a 3 and it went in. And I said, `Coach, I think tonight might be the one when I hit a 3 because I don’t think I took one all month.’ And it was the big one, the one that’s most important.’’

Here is UConn’s take on the Smith’s game-winner …

“There was a lack of communication and when there’s a lack of communication usually something bad happens,’’ Dolson said. “And Smith knocked it down. Game over.’’

“It was probably my fault,’’ senior Tiffany Hayes said. “I could’ve just went out. We were supposed to be switching, but it wasn’t really a screen so I could’ve stayed with her. But instead I told Kiah (Stokes) to go out.’’

“The kid has a lot of confidence and shoots it,’’ head coach Geno Auriemma said. “I don’t think if you told her while she was shooting it to win the game she was like, `Wow, I’ve only made three of these the whole year. I don’t think this is going to go in.’ I don’t think she was thinking that. I think she was thinking, `I’ve got a chance to win the game here at Connecticut. I’m going to shoot it. And if it goes in, we win. And if it doesn’t, we lose.’’’

The Huskies’ NCAA record winning streak at home ends at 99. They had not lost at home since a 55-47 loss to Rutgers in the Big East tournament final at the XL Center March 6, 2007.

The Huskies had won 61 straight games at Gampel Pavilion since a 60-56 loss to Rutgers Feb. 7, 2006.

The Huskies had won 27 straight games against St. John’s dating back to a 54-51 loss Jan. 6, 1993.

The Huskies had won 261 straight games against unranked opponents at home dating back to a 74-71 loss to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament March 17, 1993.

““There’s probably a lot of teams that are ranked right now that aren’t as good as St. John’s,’’ Auriemma said. “So you look at it and winning that many games is hard to fathom no matter what. No matter whether they’re ranked, unranked, conference, non-conference. We’ve done some things that the average person and other basketball coaches and people find incredulous. That when you tell them, they say, `That can’t be possible.’ And yet, we’ve done it. And it’s a blessing and a curse. It’s great that we’ve been able to put up those kind of numbers with the consistency of our program day in and day out.’’

Rich

Caroline Doty and Tiffany Hayes were roommates in a UConn dorm as freshmen. They have shared an apartment together since then. But the Senior Day festivities tonight at Gampel Pavilion will mark the beginning of the end for the two dear friends.

Hayes will be honored during what is expected to be an emotional ceremony at 6:44. Doty, who was forced to sit out last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee for the third time, will return next season for a fifth year.

“I can’t believe it’s gone by so fast already,’’ Doty said. “And the fact that I can’t walk with Tiffany … We came in together. I think we had like five girls come in together (on our official recruiting visit in 2007) and now it’s only just Tiffany walking. It’s going to be an emotional time because we did grow up and we’ve been through so much together. I’ll probably cry. It’ll be a special moment. But I know she’s going to do great things in the future. We still have the whole postseason, but just to know that it’s going to be the last home game it’s going to touch our hearts and we’re going to miss her a lot.’’

Doty might be saddened by the fact that Hayes will soon be moving on. But she is delighted to have the opportunity to return next season.

“Absolutely, I want to try to milk this as long as I can,’’ Doty said. “It’s too much fun not to stay. I’m excited to have another year to develop and be here for my team and just enjoy the atmosphere and everything.’’

The norm for recruits is make unofficial visits to the schools they are interested in and then take all five of their allotted official visits before making their decision. Hayes, who grew up in Lakeland, Fla., bucked the trend.

She never did set foot on campus before informing UConn coach Geno Auriemma that she intended to play for the Huskies March 1, 2007. Instead, Hayes took a virtual tour of the campus on-line, talked to members of the coaching staff and then UConn-bound recruit Maya Moore and attended the Huskies’ game at South Florida Feb. 20, 2007. That was enough.

“I still don’t think it’s weird,’’ Hayes said. “I just didn’t feel like wasting my time going to other places when I knew this was where I wanted to be. Other people were like, `You didn’t use your visits?’ I’m like, `No. It’s a waste of my time.’’’

Rich

Four years ago, Fairfield resident Maddie Marks struggled to make her way down to the UConn women’s basketball office to place her name among those in consideration to be a team manager. She was a freshman just out of Fairfield Warde High. If you haven’t been in the bottom of Gampel Pavilion before it can be a tricky place to find your way around.

Marks found her way to the office that day. She gave her name to team Program Aide Amada Hughes, who put her on the necessary list. Marks was eventually called back in for an interview. She was asked to come to individual workouts and practice to prove herself. And then, as she said this week, “they just kept inviting me back. And here I am today four years later.’’

Marks will have her time in the spotlight tonight when she is honored, along with six other team managers and Huskies’ leading scorer Tiffany Hayes, during Senior Day festivities at Gampel Pavilion. She will be escorted by her parents, Lynne and Brian Marks.

“It’s going to be really special,’’ Marks said. “After four years of hard work and getting to know all the different girls over the four years, and practice players and other managers, it’s going to be a little surreal to step out there as a senior.

“It’s been a great experience traveling to all these different campuses that I probably otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to see. Or even just seeing day-to-day practice and seeing how hard everyone works from the managers to the players, staff and coaches. It’s pretty remarkable.’’

Marks, who is in the UConn honors program, has a 3.8 GPA and recently received the Babbidge Scholar Award for earning a 4.0 GPA for the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 semesters. She is an Individualized major in sports psychology with hopes of attending graduate school to study counseling psychology.

Marks said she would like to work with athletes and military personnel in the future.

“It’s been one of the best experiences ever,’’ Marks said. “I’m thankful that I had the opportunity. And I’ve learned a tremendous amount, more than anyone could imagine. Plus, you’re here almost every day and learning from Coach (Geno Auriemma), and from (assistant coaches) Shea (Ralph) and Marisa (Moseley), (associate head coach Chris Dailey) and from (former assistant coach) Jamelle Elliott and the rest of the staff. They’re all wonderful. It’s a great learning opportunity.’’

Rich

Sophomore Bria Hartley has been named one of eight finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which annually honors the nation’s top point guard based on a player’s floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills.

Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Angel Goodrich (Kansas), Chelsea Gray (Duke), Lindsey Moore (Nebraska), Samantha Prahalis (Ohio State), Odyssey Sims (Baylor) and Haley Steed (BYU) are the other finalists. Hartley is seeking to become the fourth UConn player to win the award, joining Sue Bird (2000, ‘01, ‘02), Diana Taurasi (2003, ‘04) and Renee Montgomery (2009).

The final three finalists and the winner will be announced during Final Four Weekend April 1-3. The winner will be honored during a luncheon at The Detroit Athletic Club in Detroit April 18.

Rich

Tiffany Hayes sat in the second row of seats behind the UConn bench wearing a hat made of intertwined blue and white balloons. It was her official recruiting visit at First Night at Gampel Pavilion Oct. 12, 2007.

Hayes had already made an oral commitment to play for the Huskies, though she did not have high expectations. She had been a complementary player for much of her career at Winter Haven (Fla.) High School. She was comfortable occupying the same role at UConn.

However, Hayes’ outlook quickly changed once she was afforded the chance to start 17 games for the Huskies as a freshman in 2008-09. She wanted more. She wanted to make an impact at UConn. And four years later, she has accomplished her goal.

“Sitting in those chairs and coming in my freshman year I just pretty much thought I was going to be a role player doing what the team needed me to do, helping out whenever, being a sixth-man or stuff like that,’’ Hayes said. “I was never the type to give up or just like give up my position, but once I got that chance to be in the starting lineup I didn’t want to give it up. So I just kept working hard and then here we are.’’

Hayes will play her 71st and final game at Gampel Pavilion Saturday night when the second-ranked Huskies (24-2, 11-1 Big East) host St. John’s (7; CPTV). She will be honored during what is likely to be another emotional Senior Day ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 6:44. Seven of UConn’s 19 managers, including Maddie Marks of Fairfield, will also be honored.

The Huskies will be looking for their 100th straight win at home. St. John’s (17-8, 9-3) has won four straight games and 12 of 15 since former Trinity Catholic star Da’Shena Stevens returned to the lineup Dec. 17 (knee).

“It will be kind of emotional,’’ Hayes said. “I think just for me just because I had (three) other people with me and then I’m the only one left. I think that’ll be the biggest thing for me … that I’m by myself. Other than that I think it’ll be a pretty fun night.’’

Hayes, an athletic 5-foot-10 guard, was initially part of the four-player class. However, she will be the only one honored Saturday.

Heather Buck sat out the 2008-09 season after contracting mononucleosis during the preseason. Caroline Doty, Hayes’ close friend, missed the 2010-11 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee for the third time. And Elena Delle Donne spent only a matter of hours on campus during the summer of 2008 before bolting home to Delaware in the middle of the night and ultimately transferring to the University of Delaware.

Hayes is ranked 12th all-time in team history in scoring (1,655) and eighth in made 3-pointers (176) in 142 career games (118 starts). She also has 612 career rebounds and is ranked 12th in team history in assists (451) and steals (195).

She has helped the Huskies to a 138-4 record, including 70-0 at home. She has been a member of three Final Four teams, two national championships and three Big East regular season and tournament championships.

“I think when it’s all done down the road and we look back at Tiffany’s career, and whether she’s a first-team All-American or whether she’s Player of the Year or whether she’s any of the other stuff I think when we look back we’re going to realize that she’s one of the most consistent and one of the best players that have played at Connecticut,’’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “When you look at the impact that she’s had every year that she’s been here, it’s like every year since freshman year she’s had an impact on the program. And not very many people can say that. She was instrumental in winning the national championship as a freshman. She was instrumental in winning the national championship as a sophomore. She was instrumental in getting us to the Final Four last year. And she’s been the player that’s done the most for us up to this point right now. So you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody that’s accomplished more in her four years here who’s name isn’t on that wall.’’

Hayes is currently enjoying the best season of her career. She is averaging career-highs in scoring (15.9), rebounding (5.9), shooting percentage (.532), 3-point shooting percentage (.430) and free throw shooting percentage (.792). She had previously not shot better than .458 percent from the field (2008-09) and 37.4 percent from 3-point range (2008-09) in her first three seasons.

Hayes is also averaging 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 29.8 minutes this season. She leads the Huskies in scoring and is second in rebounding and steals and third in assists.

“You always want to go out with a bang,’’ Hayes said. “You don’t want to leave here knowing that you could’ve done better. So leaving here on top that’s the best way to go. If I can help us go as far as we can then that’ll definitely be a great accomplishment. I’m just hoping I can stay focused and be consistent along the way.’’

Hayes is averaging 17.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals over the last 15 games. In this span, she reached double figures in scoring in a career-high 10 straight games and set a two-game team record with a combined 68 points – a career-high 35 at Syracuse Jan. 25 and 33 against South Florida Jan. 28.

“She can do so many things,’’ UConn assistant coach Shea Ralph said. “She can shoot 3s. She can go by anybody she wants. She plays really good defense. She’s smart. She’s emotional. She has all the makings of what it takes to be great. But I think this year what I like the most is that she’s playing really hard all the time on both ends of the floor. She doesn’t take any breaks, and we don’t give her any because we don’t take her out of the game. That’s really, really, really hard to do on a daily basis to play that hard in every game for 38 minutes. I give her credit for that.’’

With as many as 13 games remaining, Hayes is on pace to finish with 1,862 points and 498 assists, which would vault her into the Top 10 in team history in both categories. In doing so, she would become the fourth UConn player to rank in the Top 10 in points and assists, joining All-Americans Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Diana Taurasi.

“I’m almost in the Top 10 in scoring and I would never think when I first stepped on this campus that I would be anywhere near that with all the great players that have come through here,’’ Hayes said. “So that’s definitely a big accomplishment. I’m just hoping I can continue doing what I’m doing.’’

Hayes has set herself up nicely for the future with what she has accomplished at UConn. And from what Auriemma has heard of late it is expected that she has a legitimate chance of being a high first-round pick in the WNBA draft in April.

Hayes would become the 13th player in team history to be drafted in the first round.

“I think if you’re smart in that league … Obviously, talent is the No. 1 thing,’’ Auriemma said. “You could be smart. You could be a great teammate. And you could win. But if don’t have talent then they’re crazy to draft you. But somebody like that who has been consistent through her four years here. Her scoring average has gone up every year that she’s been here. The things that’s she done have gone up every year that she’s been here for the most part. And she won’t be the go-to guy whatever team drafts her. So she’ll kind of be back in her comfort zone for a little while. I would venture to say if she plays her cards right four years from now after her first three years in the league she’s going to be really, really good.’’

Rich