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Auriemma wins No. 600 in Connecticut romp

Dec 31, 2006 - 11:20 PM HARTFORD, Connecticut (Ticker) -- Perfection allowed Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma to cap off the year with a milestone.

Auriemma became the 17th coach to win 600 games as the fifth-ranked Huskies coasted to an 82-40 victory over intrastate rival Sacred Heart.

A Hall of Fame inductee in 2006, Auriemma has led the Huskies to five national championships. Now in his 22nd season, he is the fastest coach to reach 600 wins, accomplishing the mark in 716 games - 18 fewer than Tennessee's Pat Summitt.

Freshmen Kaili McLaren and Tina Charles each had a double-double in Auriemma's record win. Making her first career start, McLaren had 14 points and 15 rebounds while Charles supplied 15 and 11 as UConn improved to 11-0 for the eighth time since 1996-97.

"Will I enjoy tonight? Yeah, to a certain extent," Auriemma said. "I'm thinking more about tomorrow and the day after that we have to address. But yeah, I will tonight for a little bit."

Guard Renee Montgomery also scored 14 points for the Huskies, who shot 50 percent (34-of-68) from the field and extended their home winning streak against non-ranked opponents to a staggering 192-0.

UConn outscored Sacred Heart, 54-14, in the paint and dominated the backboards, 57-20.

Amanda Pape scored 19 points to lead the Pioneers (6-6), who shot 2-of-22 from 3-point range and trailed 40-25 at halftime.