The Game That Changed Women’s Basketball Forever
It was a night to remember, a night that would go down in history as a turning point for women’s basketball. The date was Jan. 16, 1995, and the place was Gampel Pavilion, where the UConn Huskies faced off against the top-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers. The game ended with a 77-66 victory for UConn, but the impact of that game went far beyond the final score.
Rebecca Lobo, a key player for UConn, recalled the atmosphere vividly. “The people were still there. Like, singing ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T.’ It was like a party no one wanted to leave,” she told ESPN. “A euphoric sort of feeling. Almost like they were afraid that if they left, the feeling would go away.”
This game was more than just a matchup between two teams; it was a clash between a traditional powerhouse and an emerging force in women’s basketball. It was a game that was televised on ESPN on Martin Luther King Day, a time when women’s sports had limited broadcast exposure. The Associated Press even postponed Top 25 poll voting for a day to account for the outcome, an unprecedented move.
The victory was a pivotal step in a season that changed the Huskies’ lives, their program, and the sport. Over the next 2½ months, UConn put the finishing touches on a 35-0 season and won its first NCAA title, including another victory over Tennessee in the national championship game in Minneapolis on April 2, 1995.
The Journey to Perfection
The seeds of UConn’s championship run were sown in 1994. That March, the Huskies lost in the Elite Eight to eventual champion North Carolina, a disappointing end to the program’s first 30-win season. But the Huskies were optimistic for the following year, when they would return all their major players and add freshman sensation, and Connecticut native, Nykesha Sales.
That summer, the team went on a European trip to Belgium and Italy, an opportunity to gauge the Huskies’ process on the basketball court and to bond off it. One night, Auriemma went from ordering his players around on the court to ordering them to wash dishes. He took the team to a restaurant where there was no English menu, so he made the choices. And a lot of players didn’t finish their food.
- Rebecca Lobo: “Coach made us all bring our plates back into the kitchen and wash them. He thought we were being ungrateful. Like, ‘Don’t act like spoiled young kids [because] the food isn’t something you’re used to eating.’ It was a lesson about accountability.”
- Chris Dailey: “Jamelle [Elliott] and Kara [Wolters] got stuck in a small elevator when we were coming home from Milan. Jamelle was so mad. She said it was because Kara’s bag was too heavy and because they have the smaller elevators [in Europe].”
From a basketball standpoint, the trip couldn’t have gone much better. Auriemma and Dailey used the trip to install a triangle offense. They were also preparing to incorporate Sales, who as a freshman wasn’t on the trip, into the mix. After seeing how well the Huskies fared against professional European squads, the team felt confident going into the season.
The Game That Defined a Rivalry
One date loomed large: Jan. 16. ESPN brokered a matchup between the Huskies and Tennessee, which at that point had won three NCAA titles. Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt agreed to come to Storrs, Connecticut, two days after playing at Auburn.
Holly Warlick: “Pat was always going to do whatever was best for women’s basketball to grow. UConn was up and coming, and she thought it was important for us to play them. Plus, Pat always wanted to get ready for the NCAA tournament. She just accepted the challenge.”
The Huskies had a 41-33 lead at halftime, and the Lady Vols never got closer than four points in the second half. Wolters had 18 points, Rizzotti 17. Lobo had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 blocks.
Mimi Griffin: “Women’s basketball had great rivalries before, but the masses did not know about them. This one particular game established a rivalry with sustainability at the highest level, and in the backyard of ESPN and New York-based media. All the stars aligned.”
The Road to the Championship
UConn won its first three NCAA tournament games — over Maine, Virginia Tech, and Alabama (a Final Four team the year before) — by an average of 35.7 points. At the regional in Storrs, Virginia was the Huskies’ last hurdle to the Final Four. UConn jumped ahead, but the Cavaliers rallied and took a seven-point lead at the break. It was the only time all season the Huskies trailed at halftime.
Auriemma: “I was scared to death: ‘We’re not even going to get to the Final Four.’ This is ridiculous.”
Stanford, which had defeated UConn in three previous meetings, awaited the Huskies in the national semifinals in Minneapolis. The programs had gone head-to-head for some recruits, including Lobo. At the time, the relationship between Auriemma and Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer was frosty.
The flexibility allowed by the triangle offense worked perfectly against the Cardinal. The Huskies won 87-60, led by Wolters’ 31 points and nine rebounds.
The Championship Game
UConn was still unbeaten, but Tennessee had won championships before. The Huskies didn’t like being considered the underdog, and then the Lady Vols irritated Rizzotti even before tipoff.
When the Huskies went to warm up, the Tennessee players were stretching in the center circle, including on UConn’s side of the court.
Rizzotti: “It was kind of an audacious statement to think that you could just sit on our half of the court because that’s what you did every other game of the year. I told them to get off. And they all looked at me. I walked over the scorer’s table, and I said, ‘Get them off our half of the court. We’re trying to warm up.’ They made the move.”
UConn won the national championship 70-64 behind Lobo’s 17 points and eight rebounds, with four other Huskies scoring in double figures. The image of Lobo running back toward the UConn bench with arms in the air defined the moment.
The Aftermath and Legacy
Later, back at the team’s hotel, the celebration was on for the team, their families, and supporters. A “guardian angel,” as Lobo put it, had filled the tub in her and Rizzotti’s room with ice and alcohol.
Eventually, Auriemma and most of the players gathered in his suite with a VHS tape of the game to watch.
Auriemma: “They’re introducing the starting lineups, and they’re sitting there booing the introductions. I was sitting on the couch, trying to keep myself awake or something. The game’s going on. They’re yelling and screaming, throwing stuff, and I was running commentary and they’re like, ‘Shut up!”
For Lobo, the circus never slowed down. She went on talk shows like “Late Show with David Letterman,” missed her graduation because of U.S. national team commitments, and became one of the first three players to sign with the WNBA. Now an ESPN analyst and mother of four, she thinks back on how magical UConn’s 1995 title run was.
Lobo: “I understand the perfect storm of all the factors that came into play: us being in the backyard of ESPN, the proximity to New York media, the NHL strike [during the 1994-95 season] that meant there were more minutes available on ‘SportsCenter.’ That we were undefeated.”
Dailey: “There will never be another feeling like the first time that we won a national championship. I don’t think it could ever be better.”
Originally Written by: Alexa Philippou,Michael Voepel
