UConn is three wins away from history and seem unstoppable

Nina Mandell
Dec 29, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard/forward Katie Lou Samuelson (33) drives between Maryland Terrapins guard Destiny Slocum (5) and guard Kristen Confroy (12) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-341624 ORIG FILE ID:  20161229_ggw_ar4_007.JPG

COLLEGE PARK, MD. - Count history as all but made.

UConn women's basketball beat the third-ranked Maryland Terrapins on Thursday night in front of a sold-out crowd here, a win that nearly guarantees they'll break the record for all-time wins. The current record, which sits at 90, was set by UConn between 2008-2011. The Huskies, who won the last four national titles and now have 87 consecutive wins, haven't lost a game since November 2014.

As expected, a talented Maryland team gave UConn a tough fight, coming back from a 15-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter to cut the lead to five with less than five minutes to go. Freshman point guard Destiny Slocum hit a three to narrow the lead to six and another one from beyond the arc with less than 30 seconds remaining. But it wasn't enough to beat a team that never seemed panicked, even when facing what seemed like total collapse late in the fourth quarter. With Maryland within striking distance, UConn went on a 4-0 run and held Maryland without a basket for nearly two minutes to pull out the win. Despite Maryland's efforts, UConn never trailed.

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What makes this UConn team especially remarkable is its resiliency after it lost Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck, who went on to be the top three picks in the 2016 WNBA draft. Katie Lou Samuelson, the team's leading scorer, was spotted throwing up in a trash can on the sidelines in the first half. She went 2-for-8 in the first half, including 1-for-6 from the 3, but came back in the second half and finished with 23 points.

"I just think she's a relentless player," Slocum said.

The streak is not due to weak scheduling: So far this season, the Huskies have topped 12th-ranked Florida State, No. 4 Baylor, No. 15 Texas, then-top ranked Notre Dame and No. 13 Ohio State.

"When the season began somebody asked me 'why did you set the schedule the way it is, you killed your streak,'" Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. "I'm like what's the streak got to do with anything that we're doing … it's like when the poll comes out and you're number one and people ask 'how does it feel?' It's nice and all that but it's not the focus of what we're trying to do."

Barring any shock, UConn's next greatest threat comes against South Florida, which is ranked 19th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches' Poll, in what will be their 90th win. After that, they should coast through the schedule until a match-up against South Carolina in February. But by then, they'll have long surpassed the record.

Despite their dominance, Auriemma said he wasn't convinced - but he may be the only one. When asked if he thought his team would lose a game, he didn't hesitate.

"Yeah absolutely," he said. "Come watch film, I'll show you why we should lose games and why I think we're going to lose. You saw what happened (tonight): All we need is one of those kids to foul out earlier … we're one thing away. I'm sure most teams are.

"We don't have a deep bench," he added. "We don't have the size, we don't have the ability to match any situation that comes up we need to control the environment, we need things to go a certain way for us … "

And it's not that other teams won't be coming for them: It's likely in a rematch in the NCAA tournament, Maryland could fix some of the things that hurt them on Thursday. And Notre Dame could do the same. As could Baylor.

"We all have to find a way, we all have to continue to get better in order for us to see that happen," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said of the possibility of UConn losing. "They're a great team … but I'm excited about where we can grow from this game and I know we want another opportunity."

But what's terrifying for other teams is that it's likely UConn will only get better in coming years. The oldest player in their starting five is a junior and Megan Walker, a 6-foot-1 wing player who is considered the nations' top recruit in the class of 2017 committed to UConn in November.