UConn Women’s Basketball Defeats USF to Win AAC Tournament Championship, 100-44

Katie Lou Samuelson had a performance for the ages as the Huskies cruised to their 107th straight victory.

By Daniel Connolly@DanielVConnolly Mar 6, 2017, 10:12pm EST

Katie Lou Samuelson put up 29 in the first half to lead the Huskies.

UConn and USF have met in the final of the American Conference Tournament three years in a row and each time the result has been the same. In this year’s chapter UConn Women’s Basketball took down the USF Bulls, 100-44, to win the AAC Tournament Championship.

UConn played with deadly efficiency, and Katie Lou Samuelson was the lead assassin.

The sophomore put together one of the greatest performances in college basketball history, scoring 40 points while going a perfect 10-of-10 from three, a first in NCAA women’s basketball history.

“There’s no way to adequately describe it because it’s just a feeling,” said head coach Geno Auriemma. “By the time that first quarter ended, you knew it was going to be a different kind of night for Lou.”

Samuelson tied Caroline Doty’s school record for 10 consecutive threes achieved over a span of three games. Katie Lou did it in three quarters. She also passed Wendy Davis for the third-most three-pointers in a season with 110.

“I didn’t even know I made all my three’s today” she said afterwards. “I really am convinced I missed one.”

Samuelson becomes the third player in program history to eclipse the 40-point mark, joining Maya Moore, who did it twice, and Nykesha Sales. For context, the Bulls did not score 40 points until 3:41 left in the game.

If it seems this game was never close, that’s because it wasn’t. The Huskies got off to a 12-0 start spurred by a frenetic defensive effort. UConn forced USF into five turnovers which quickly converted into 10 of the 12 points. The Bulls did not get onto the board until the 5:30 mark in the first quarter.

The Huskies kept piling it on, going into the halftime break leading 62-23 and shooting 71% from both the floor and behind the arc. Samuelson had 29 points after the first half, tying the AAC Tournament record for points in a game. The only drama the rest of the game was whether she would miss a three as the Huskies ran away with it.

As a team, UConn tied the tournament record with 283 points over three games. It is the Huskies’ fourth overall American Conference Championship and their 21st conference title.

After scoring 71 points over three games, Samuelson earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Napheesa Collier and Gabby Williams were named to the All-Tournament team.

The Huskies must now wait until Selection Monday to learn their matchups for the NCAA Tournament. Barring a monstrous bracketology malfunction, they should be the no. 1 overall seed in the Bridgeport Region, meaning they will have four games in the state of Connecticut to start off the tournament.