The 2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game was the final game of the

2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament The 2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was played between March and April 2015, with the Final Four played April 5 & 7. The regional locations, after a one-year experiment allowing tournament teams to host, returned to four neutra ...

, played to determine the national champion for the

2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season The 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began in November and ended with the Final Four in Tampa, Florida, April 5–7. Practices officially began on October 3. This was the final season in which NCAA women's basketball games wer ...

. The

Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...

defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win their third consecutive championship. Breanna Stewart was voted

Most Outstanding Player The term Most Outstanding Player may refer to: * The recipient of the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award * The NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award * The College World Series Most Outstanding Player in college baseball * The N ...

for the third straight time. Head coach Geno Auriemma tied

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...

's record winning ten NCAA national championships.

Participants

This

rematch ''Rematch'' is the first US-released Sammy Hagar compilation album. After Sammy left Capitol Records for Geffen in 1981, and after Rick Springfield had a hit with the Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You", this collection was released to ...

was the second championship meeting in two years between the teams, the

and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The players had a subdued rivalry for this game. '' The New York Times'' noted the "absence of hostility" that both coaches said reflected the benefits of getting along.

Game summary

The 2015 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Game was played on April 7, 2015, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Notable performances were by Breanna Stewart, voted three years in a row the

, and by point guard

Moriah Jefferson Moriah Jefferson (born March 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted second overall by the San Antonio Stars in the 2016 WNBA draft. ...

, who Stewart said ought to have won MOP. Jefferson scored 15 points, with 5 assists and 4 steals. Stewart fell in the first half with eight minutes left. She limped off and was retaped. Notre Dame suffered 13 turnovers in the first half and shot only 30 percent from the floor. Notre Dame trailed but was still alive "deep into the second half." Freshman Kia Nurse shot two 3-point baskets with about seven minutes remaining, securing the Huskie's lead. Then senior

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Kaleena Jordan Mosqueda-Lewis (born Kaleena Jordan Lewis, November 3, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Prior to enrolling at the University of Connecticut she played for Mater Dei High School in S ...

, who also scored 15 points overall, sealed their lead by scoring twice. President Barack Obama telephoned Auriemma with congratulations, calling the UConn women's basketball program a "sports powerhouse."

Broadcast

The Championship Game was broadcast in the United States by ESPN. Dave O'Brien was the play-by-play man with Doris Burke providing on-court commentary.

Kevin Negandhi Kevin Negandhi (born March 20, 1975) is an American sports anchor for ESPN's ''SportsCenter'' as well as ''ESPN College Football on ABC''. In addition to hosting ''SportsCenter'', he also hosts ''Baseball Tonight'', ''College Football Live'' and ...

served as the studio host.

Kara Lawson Kara Marie Lawson (born February 14, 1981) is the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team. She is a former American professional women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a basketball t ...

and

Rebecca Lobo Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin (born October 6, 1973) is an American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position f ...

served as studio commentators. ESPN International owns the broadcast rights outside the United States. The Championship Game was streamed for free on NCAA.com. Radio coverage in the United States was provided by Westwood One.

References

{{2015 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball navbox NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game NCAA Division I women's basketball championship games UConn Huskies women's basketball Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball Basketball competitions in Tampa, Florida College basketball tournaments in Florida April 2015 sports events in the United States NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Game 21st century in Tampa, Florida Women's sports in Florida

Participants

Game summary

Broadcast

See also

References