St. John's snaps UConn women's 99-game home winning streak

It took something of this magnitude for CBS Sports website to cover women's college basketbal.

From CBS Sports: St. John's snaps UConn women's 99-game home winning streak
STORRS, Conn. -- Geno Auriemma knew UConn's incredible home winning streak would end eventually. He just didn't expect it to come when the Huskies were playing their typical stellar defense.

Shenneika Smith's 3-pointer from the wing with 8 seconds left lifted St. John's to a 57-56 win over No. 2 Connecticut on Saturday night, snapping the Huskies' 99-game home court winning streak. It was also the Huskies' first home loss to an unranked opponent in nearly 19 years.

"You almost hate to say it, but it was the perfect storm for them," Auriemma said. "The funny part about it is if you hold a team to 57 points you're supposed to win that game," he said. "Losses are part of the game itself. If you think you're going to win every game at home, at some point you got to say it's not possible. It's not realistic."

UConn hasn't lost too many games on campus in about 19 years.

St. John's became only the fifth team to win at Storrs since 1993, joining Tennessee, Georgia, Notre Dame and Rutgers. The Red Storm, who have won seven of their last eight games -- the lone loss coming to then-No. 2 Notre Dame -- haven't had much success anywhere against the Huskies. They lost their last 27 meetings before Saturday's win.

The Huskies got little offense from their stars. Bria Hartley, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Tiffany Hayes were a combined 11 for 32 from the field.

Hayes was honored before the game as the lone senior on the team. She had won her first 78 games at home.

"It's just a loss -- period. You never want to lose, especially at home, on a day like this," she said. "It's still a loss, so it's going to feel like another loss no matter what."

Trailing by two with 16 seconds left, Nadirah McKenith drove the lane and kicked it out to Smith, who hit the 3 to give the Red Storm (18-8, 10-3 Big East) the lead.

"When [coach] wrote the play up, I hadn't hit one all day and this was the going to be the one I hit," said Smith, who had only made three of her 22 3-point attempts this season before that shot.

UConn (24-3, 11-2) had one final chance, but Hartley's 3-point attempt from the corner was short, setting off a wild celebration at midcourt by the Red Storm.

"Days like today are a reminder that you're only supposed to win when you play really well and beat the other team. We didn't deserve to win. I don't care if we won 900 in a row at home," Auriemma said. "Leading up to that last shot, if that shot goes in -- hey that's 100 in a row. Realistically, though, St. John's outplayed us today. They did what they wanted to do better than what we wanted to do. It was a fitting end for them."

The Huskies last lost at home on March 6, 2007, falling to Rutgers in the Big East championship game. The NCAA counts the Huskies' postseason games in Hartford and Storrs as home games. With the UConn men's loss earlier in the day to No. 12 Marquette in Hartford, it marked the first time that both Huskies teams lost at home on the same day since Feb. 27, 1993.

UConn became the latest high-ranked team to lose to an unranked opponent. West Virginia shocked Notre Dame last weekend and Alabama upset No. 7 Kentucky.

"Isn't it great for women's basketball," St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "It's unbelievable and great for our game, our game is growing. When I first started here, people were losing by 50 or 60 night in and night out. It says women's basketball has come a long way and there is a lot of parity in the game."

As shocking as the other two top 10 losses were, the Huskies had always taken care of unranked teams, winning their last 261 straight at home and 173 overall against non-Top 25 opponents. Louisville was the last unranked team to knock off the Huskies at home in the NCAA tournament in 1993.

"I think a loss is a loss," UConn center Stefanie Dolson said. "I don't think we thought about it as, `Oh we lost and it was our first in 20 years or whatever.' We lost because of the way we played. We're just extremely angry with ourselves, frustrated with ourselves."

The Huskies had shattered their own Division I record of 69 straight home wins that they shared with Tennessee. UConn set the overall women's record in November by beating Dayton and passing Division III Rust (Miss.) College, which won 88 straight at home from 1982-89. All but two of those wins during UConn's streak have come by double digits and 35 of them by more than 40.

Stanford now has the longest active streak at 76 games, which includes last year's win that snapped UConn's record 90-game overall winning streak.

The home streak began in the first round of the 2007 NCAAs with an 82-33 win over Maryland-Baltimore County in Storrs.

UConn almost extended it to 100 against the Red Storm when Dolson hit a lay-in with 34 seconds left to give UConn a 56-54 advantage after a back-and-forth affair.

Neither team was able to build more than a four-point lead in the second half. Trailing 34-32 at the break, UConn rallied to take a 42-39 lead with 14 minutes left. From there the two teams traded points over the next 13 minutes. Kiah Stokes' lay-in with 9:02 left made it 48-44 UConn. The Huskies didn't hit another basket until Kelly Faris connected for a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down with 3:31 left. It gave UConn a 53-52 lead.

But St. John's wouldn't quit. After Mary Nwachukwu hit a jumper to make it 54-53 St. John's, Mosqueeda-Lewis hit one of two free throws with 1:07 left to tie the score and set up the exciting finish.

Mosqueeda-Lewis finished with 12 points to lead UConn.

Australian Wright birdies 18 to win New Zealand Women's Open

From CBS News: Australian Wright birdies 18 to win New Zealand Women's Open
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- Australia's Lindsey Wright birdied the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke victory Sunday in the New Zealand Women's Open.

Wright finished at 10-under 206 at Pegasus Golf Club in the event sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf.

Wright clinched her first win on either tour with seven birdies, including three in a row on holes No. 7, 8 and 9. She also had one double bogey on the par-4 13th.

American Alison Walshe and Australia's Jessica Speechley finished in a share of second place. Walshe closed with a 69, and Speechley had a 65, the lowest round of the tournament.

Canada's Lorie Kane and Australia's Stephanie Na shot 69 to finish equal fourth at 8 under.

Fourteen-year-old Lydia Ko, who had a share of the second-round lead with five other golfers, fell to 17th place after shooting a 74.

The South Korean-born New Zealander, the world's top-ranked amateur, became the youngest winner of a professional tour event last month in the Women's New South Wales Open

Two Tseng birdies swipe Thailand title from Miyazato

From CBS News: Two Tseng birdies swipe Thailand title from Miyazato
CHONBURI, Thailand -- Top-ranked Yani Tseng successfully defended her LPGA Thailand title for her 13th LPGA Tour victory, birdieing the final two holes Sunday to hold off playing partner Ai Miyazato by a stroke.

The 23-year-old Taiwanese star shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 19-under 269 on Siam Country Club's Pattaya Old Course. She opened with a 73, then shot consecutive 65s to enter the final round a shot behind Miyazato.

Before the tournament she made a wish on a lucky Thai statue.

"I had some luck out there," Tseng said. I shot 1 over the first round, but I came back very soon and played 20 under the next three days. I felt like I could improve a lot and I feel like something gave me luck."

She also visited the statue last year.

"I just wish I could win this tournament," she said.

Last year, Tseng won the event for the first of her seven 2011 LPGA Tour victories, including major victories in the LPGA Championship and Women's British Open. The five-time major champion finished the year with 12 worldwide victories. She has 33 career worldwide professional victories.

"I feel much more pressure coming into this year," Tseng said. "Last year, when I started, I was nothing. I was just in the top five in the world, but I don't have 12 wins or world No. 1 title. After last year, I have world No. 1 and I had 12 wins and that pressure keep going on and on."

On the par-5 18th, she came through with the pressure on, nearly holing her 104-yard approach and tapping in for the winning birdie.

"It was an incredible shot. I think it's the shot of the week," Tseng said. "Especially, I saw that Ai hit it so close and I knew she was going to make that putt. So, I tell myself, `I need to get this close.'

"It was tough. I had 104 to the pin and a little uphill. I know my ball is going to spin a lot, so I just tried to keep it low and not spin too much. ... I was very proud of myself for hitting that shot into 18 and making birdie to win."

Miyazato, the Japanese player who won the 2010 tournament, also birdied the final two holes in her 67.

"Of course, Yani is No. 1, so I knew it wouldn't be easy today," Miyazato said. "I kind of expected her to play that way."

South Korea's Jiyai Shin, tied for the lead with Tseng after a birdie of her own on the par-4 17th, had a 67 to finish two strokes back.

Tseng eagled the par-5 opening hole and Miyazato had a birdie, leaving them tied at 15 under. Tseng took the lead with a birdie on the par-4 third, and added birdies on the par-4 sixth and par-5 seventh. At the turn, she had a three-stroke lead over Shin and four-shot advantage over Miyazato.

"I played really well on the front nine, but it was tough on the back nine, especially when you see Jiyai and Ai keep making birdies," Tseng said. "It got tight down the stretch. It was tough. I feel like I had lots of emotions today."

Shin, playing a group ahead of Tseng and Miyazato, birdied the par-4 10th to pull within two and gained another stroke when Tseng bogeyed the hole. Tseng pushed her lead to two with a birdie on the par-3 12th, but bogeyed the par-4 13th.

Miyazato birdied the 10th and pulled within one of Tseng with a birdie on the par-4 15th, then matched Tseng with a par on 16 and the birdies on 17 and 18.

"Overall, I played really well and I'm very happy that I could finish strong today," Miyazato said about her season debut. "I really enjoyed playing with Yani, but next time I want to win."

South Korea's Amy Yang shot a 69 to finish fourth at 14 under.

Sixteen-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn followed her third-round 65 with a 74 to tie for 12th to 7 under. She played the final five holes in 4 over, making a double-bogey 7 on No. 18. Last year, Jutanugarn won the U.S. Junior Girls' Championship and was the Rolex Junior Player of the Year.

Seventeen-year-old American Lexi Thompson had five back-nine birdies in a 66 to tie for 14th at 6 under.

"I'm really happy with the way I'm hitting it," Thompson said. "I'm playing consistent. Just need to get a few more of those putts to drop like today."

Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 78 to drop into a tie for 21st at 4 under. She began the round four strokes out of the lead.

Michelle Wie closed with a 73 to tie for 38th at 1 over.

Morgan Pressel had a hole-in-one with an 8-iron on the 136-yard eighth hole. She finished with a 71 to tie for 49th at 4 over.

Karrie Webb - Australian

From Wikipedia:
Karrie Ann Webb AM (born 21 December 1974) is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. She has 38 wins on the LPGA Tour, more than any other active player.

Early life and amateur career
Webb was born in Ayr, Queensland. She was a member of the Australian Amateur team, making six international appearances from 1992–1994, including a 1994 appearance in the Espirito Santo Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships. This was the year she became the Australian Strokeplay Champion where she scored a 128 on a par 68 course, over 36 holes.

Professional career
Webb began her professional golfing career in 1994 playing on the Ladies European Tour where she finished second at the Women's Australian Open and the Futures Tour in the U.S., where she won one tournament. In 1995 she became the youngest ever winner of the Weetabix Women's British Open in her rookie season in Europe, prior to it being classed as an LPGA major, and was European Rookie of the Year. She qualified for the LPGA Tour after she finished second at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament despite playing with a broken bone in her wrist.

In 1996 Webb won her first LPGA tournament in her second LPGA start at the HealthSouth Inaugural on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff. She won three other tournaments and become the first LPGA player to win $1 million mark in a single season topping the year end money list. She was also the 1996 LPGA Rookie of the Year.

In 1997 Webb won three times on the LPGA Tour including another win at the Weetabix Women's British Open, won her first Vare Trophy and was voted 1997 ESPY Best Female Golfer. In 1999 Webb won her first major championship at the du Maurier Ltd. Classic and won her first LPGA Tour Player of the Year award.

Webb also took part in the largest playoff in LPGA Tour history at the 1999 Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. Se Ri Pak birdied the first sudden death playoff hole to defeat Webb, Mardi Lunn, Carin Koch, Sherri Steinhauer, and Kelli Kuehne.

In 2000, Webb won two more major championships, following up her win at the Nabisco Championship with a win at the U.S. Women's Open. This gained her a second consecutive Rolex Player of the Year title and Vare Trophy and she topped the money list, missing out on a chance to become the LPGA's first single-season $2 million winner by taking a mid season break to return home to Australia to run with the Olympic torch.

Teamed with Rachel Hetherington representing Australia she won the Women's World Cup in Malaysia, was awarded the preeminent sport award in Australia, the Dawn Fraser Award. and was named Female Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America.

She successfully defended her U.S. Women's Open title in 2001 and won the LPGA Championship to become the youngest winner of the LPGA Career Grand Slam.

She teamed with David Duval to play against Annika Sörenstam and Tiger Woods in a made-for-TV Battle at Bighorn between the two best male and two best female players in the world that at the time provided women's golf its largest audience ever. Webb's win at the 2002 Women's British Open, which had become an LPGA major in 2001, meant she completed a Super Career Grand Slam – every available major championship in women's golf in her career.

Webb now suffered a three-year slump. She collected just two LPGA wins in the next two years and in 2005 had a best LPGA finish of tied sixth although she did team up with Rachel Hetherington to represent Australia at the Women's World Cup of Golf and won her fifth ANZ Ladies Masters title back home in Australia.

Webb qualified for entry to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000, but was not eligible for induction until she had played ten LPGA Tour events in each of ten seasons. She met this criterion on 9 June 2005 when she completed the first round of the LPGA Championship.

At age 30, she became the youngest living person ever to enter the Hall of Fame, and kept that distinction until 2007, when fellow LPGA star Se Ri Pak was inducted.

Webb staged a comeback season in 2006. In the final round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship she holed a 116-yard shot from the fairway to eagle the 18th hole and then birdied the same hole in a sudden-death playoff to beat Lorena Ochoa and win her second Kraft Nabisco Championship.

She won four other tournaments including the Evian Masters and Mizuno Classic. Her 2006 Kraft Nabisco win took her into the top ten of the Women's World Golf Rankings for the first time since they were introduced in February 2006.

Her 38 LPGA Tour victories places her in a tie for 11th on the list of players with the most career LPGA tournament wins and first among all active players.

No women's college bball on CBS Sports

The website CBS Sports used to have a link to Women's College basketball under their College BB tab - but it was removed last year. They also didn't cover the WNBA, if I remember correctly...

Under High School they have a link to Girl's Volleyball....

ESPN does have a tab for Women's College Basketball...under MORE SPORTS.

Is it male chauvanism... or is it because they've tried having these tabs in prominent positions for 10 years to little interest?

Ko, 14, in six-way tie for lead at Women's New Zealand Open

From CBS Sports: Ko, 14, in six-way tie for lead at Women's New Zealand Open
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- Fourteen-year-old amateur Lydia Ko shot her second-straight 3-under 69 on Saturday to grab a share of a six-way lead after the second round of her home tournament, the 54-hole Women's New Zealand Open.

Ko, who became the youngest winner of a professional tournament when she won last month's New South Wales Open, briefly held the outright lead at 7-under before a late bogey brought her back to the leading group on a 6-under tally of 138.

The leaders came from six nations: the South Korean-born New Zealander Ko, Mariajo Uribe of Colombia, Lindsey Wright of Australia, Haeji Kang of South Korea, Alison Walshe of the United States and Carlotta Ciganda of Spain.

Five players were a further shot back in seventh place on 139, including Americans Cindy Lacrosse and Gerina Piller.

Ko started the day in joint 12th place, two strokes off the lead but quickly made ground with a birdie on her opening hole. She bogeyed the par-4 third, then had birdies at the fourth and fifth holes to have a share of the lead near the end of her outward nine.

Ko overcame gusty conditions to birdie the par-3 11th and moved into the outright lead with a further birdie at the 13th. But a bogey at the tricky par-4 17th brought her back into a share of the lead.

"It feels good," she said. "I was like 12th or something overnight so it's good to be up with the leaders.

"I'll try hard tomorrow and hopefully play good like I did at New South Wales."

Lacrosse and Canada's Lorie Kane, who were tied in seventh place, shared Saturday's best round at 67. The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Australian and European tours.

Miyazato fires 65 to take 1-stroke lead at LPGA Thailand

From CBS News: Miyazato fires 65 to take 1-stroke lead at LPGA Thailand
CHONBURI, Thailand -- Ai Miyazato shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Yani Tseng after the third round of the LPGA Thailand.

Miyazato, the Japanese player who won the 2010 tournament, birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine. She had a 14-under 202 total on Siam Country Club's Pattaya Old Course.

"I know everyone is going to try to be aggressive tomorrow," Miyazato said. "If I can stay in my game until the last putt, I think I have a chance."

Tseng, the winner last year, shot her second straight 65 after opening with a 73. The Taiwanese star had 12 worldwide victories last year, seven on the LPGA Tour.

"I really want to win this tournament," she said. "To be a defending a champion would be great. I always really enjoy it out here to see a lot of fans and I'm very excited about tomorrow and looking forward to it."

Karrie Webb and Jiyai Shin were 12 under.

Webb shot a 71, and Shin had a 68.

Webb had a three-stroke lead Saturday morning after the completion of the lightning-delayed second round, playing the final four holes in 1 under after a 65.

Miyazato also returned early to finish the last five holes of her second-round 70. She has seven LPGA Tour victories, all in the last three seasons.

"It was a really, really long day for me," Miyazato said. "I've been up since 4 o'clock this morning so it's been a while. But the temperature dropped down today so that helped a lot too. So that's why I think I could control myself out there."

South Korea's Amy Yang was 11 under after a 68, and second-ranked Norwegian star Suzann Pettersen was another stroke back after a 69.

Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn had two eagles in a 65 that left her at 9 under.

Michelle Wie was even par after a 73.