Calling the University of Washington’s women’s basketball team a Cinderella story would be an understatement. With their first ever appearance in the Final Four in school history and setting countless records along the way, the Husky women did something in the NCAA Tournament this year that will be remembered for years to come. Every accomplishment, every victory, and every memory this team experienced is overwhelming to recollect, but here are a few of the incredible highlights from this record-setting season:
They made it to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
And the road to getting there was far from easy: in the tournament, the Huskies beat three higher-seeded teams, including No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 3 seed Kentucky. Did I mention that both of those victories were on Maryland and Kentucky’s home floors? With 26 victories this season, the Huskies can also celebrate the most wins in a season for the program since 1990.
King County Executive Dow Constantine declared April 3, 2016 “UW Husky Women’s Basketball Day.”
Get ready to keep celebrating this day for seasons to come, because as Dow Constantine stated in the Proclamation, “With ten returning players…Husky fans are looking for the team to continue its run of stellar play into 2016-17 and beyond.” When the women were being sent off to the Final Four, Mayor Ed Murray also declared it to be “Purple and Gold Week” in the city of Seattle.
The chance that they would make it to the Final Four was 0.2%.
You can clearly see that the odds weren’t in their favor—but by beating those odds and fighting through the tournament, the Huskies became the second unranked team to make it to the Final Four. Four must have been the lucky number this season, too, because they are the fourth team seeded seventh or worse to make the semifinals.
Kelsey Plum was named as a WBCA All-American, the first in UW history.
From averaging 26.2 points per game, which is the third best in the nation, to being the Huskies’ all-time leader in scoring with over 2,400 points as a junior, I’d say it’s well deserved. She also hasn’t had a game where she hasn’t reached double figures, in case you needed more validation.
Talia Walton converted eight of nine 3-point shots against Syracuse, a new NCAA record in a semifinal or finals game.
Not only did the senior score 29 points and play every minute, but she delivered some powerful words after her final game, saying that while Washington “didn’t win, we didn’t lose.” With the countless records that were set and the incredible promise this season brings for the program’s future, Walton is right: everything that was accomplished this season could never be overshadowed by a single game.
Go Dawgs.





















