Geno Hits 700

By Mel Greenberg

Norristown-bred Geno Auriemma, the highly-successful University of Connecticut women's basketball coach whose Huskies have was won six NCAA titles reached 700 career wins Friday night at home at the expense of Hofstra.

Here's the breaking Associated Press story:

 By PAT EATON-ROBB
 Associated Press Writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS
    STORRS, Conn. — Maya Moore scored 23 points to lead Connecticut to a 91-46 rout of Hofstra Friday in the WBCA Classic, giving UConn coach Geno Auriemma his 700th career victory.
    Tina Charles added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies (4-0), who have now won 43 in a row.
    Auriemma, who will coach the 2012 Olympic team, becomes the eighth active coach to reach 700 Division I wins, and the fastest to do it, needing just 822 games.
    Nicole Capurso had nine points for previously unbeaten Hofstra (3-1), which had 32 turnovers and shot just 33 percent from the floor.
    Auriemma, in his 25th year, has coached UConn to 6 national championships and three perfect seasons.
    After the game, Connecticut's players lined up wearing T-shirts with their coach's image on it, each with a letter that spelled out "Congrats 700." They then gathered around the coach and tried to mess up his always-perfect hairdo, which stayed in place.
    UConn led just 8-7 early, before a pair of lay-ups by Moore started a 12-0 run. The reigning national player of the year scored 18 in the first half, and hit eight of her first nine shots, helping UConn build a 43-23 halftime lead. She also had eight rebounds and five steals.
    The Huskies opened the second half by outscoring the Pride 20-5 and the rout was on.
    Kalana Greene had 14 points for the Huskies, 12 after intermission, and Tiffany Hayes added 10 points.
    UConn is now 89-14 all-time in November, and has not lost a game before Dec. 1 since 2004 when it was beaten by North Carolina.
    Connecticut has won 12 straight titles at in-season tournaments and has not lost at home since Jan. 6, 2007, a string of 41 consecutive games and the nation's longest active streak.
    Auriemma, who is in his 25th season, won his first game against on Nov. 23, 1985, 73-67 over Iona. He is 309 wins behind Tennessee's Pat Summitt and joins Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer, North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell, Stanford's Tara VanDerveer, Montana's Robin Selvig, Georgia's Andy Landers and Virginia's Deb Ryan on the career wins list in women's college basketball.
    UConn will face Richmond on Saturday and Clemson on Sunday. The Spiders beat the Tigers 86-67 in Friday's first game.