UConn coach Geno Auriemma breaks NCAA all-time wins record as Azzi Fudd returns from injury

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma is now the winningest head coach in both men’s and women’s Division I basketball. (AP/Jessica Hill)

Geno Auriemma now stands alone at the top.

Auriemma picked up his 1,217th career win on Wednesday night as No. 2 UConn beat Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 at Gampel Pavilion. That officially broke a tie with longtime Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and made Auriemma the winningest head coach in men’s and women’s Division I college basketball history.

Auriemma first took over at UConn in 1985, and he quickly turned the program into a women’s basketball powerhouse. He’s made the Final Four 23 times and won 11 national championships. They went on a run where they reached the Final Four an incredible 14 consecutive times, and they won four straight national titles from 2013-16. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Auriemma officially secured his 1,200th career win last season, which made him one of just three coaches in history to reach that milestone. VanDerveer retired as the winningest coach in the sport’s history after last season. Longtime Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski retired with 1,202 career wins, which made him the winningest men’s Division I coach in history.

Only five other women’s basketball coaches have won more than 1,000 games in history. DePaul coach Doug Bruno is the closest active coach to Auriemma on the all-time list, but he has just 786 wins to his name.

The Huskies had no issue with Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night. They held the Knights to just eight points in both the second and third quarters en route to the 44-point win. Sarah Strong led the way with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Paige Bueckers finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Azzi Fudd returns for UConn after knee injury

Wednesday also marked the return of star Azzi Fudd, who went down with a knee injury more than a year ago. Fudd tore her ACL and meniscus in practice last November, which knocked her out for…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uconn-coach-geno-auriemma-breaks-ncaa-all-time-wins-record-as-azzi-fudd-returns-from-injury-203225919.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-20 20:32:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.