UConn, Tennessee to extend women's basketball series 2 years

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Tennessee and UConn have agreed to extend their storied women's basketball rivalry for another two years.

The schools announced Friday they will play each other during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, first in Connecticut and then in Knoxville.

“We are excited to play these games and continue the overall series between these historic programs,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper said. “We’ve had highly competitive and entertaining games the past two seasons, and our players as well as our fans really enjoy the level of intensity and excitement that occurs when the Lady Vols and Huskies meet.”

UConn has won 15 of the 24 games between the schools. The two teams resumed playing in 2020 after a 13-year hiatus, as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Revival Series.

UConn won 60-45 in 2020 and 67-61 this past season in the team's first trip to Tennessee since 2006.

The programs first met in 1995 in a 1 vs. 2 showdown won by the Huskies and played 22 times over the next 12 years.

The series was ended after the 2007 season when then-Tennessee coach Pat Summitt called it off. UConn coach Geno Auriemma said at the time that Summitt had accused the Huskies of a recruiting violation. Summitt never went public into specifics about why she ended the series. She died in 2016 at age 64.

___

More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25