UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma Nets 1,200th Career Victory

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HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aaliyah Edwards scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as No. 11 UConn gave head coach Geno Auriemma his 1,200th career victory Wednesday, routing Seton Hall 67-34.

Auriemma became a bit nostalgic after becoming just the third coach in Division I basketball history to reach 1,200 wins, joining former Duke men's coach Mike Krzyzewski (1,202) and Stanford women's coach Tara VanDerveer (1,206).

After breaking open a pinata with his team and being showered with confetti and balloons in the locker room, Auriemma's thoughts went back to a 1987 doubleheader in Hartford with the UConn men's team, when about 50 people showed up early to watch the women beat Central Connecticut.

Wednesday night, there were more than 14,000 fans on hand in the same building, including thousands of little girls, dozens of whom waited by the tunnel for a photo or autograph with one of their heroes.

"We created a subculture that didn't exist," Auriemma said. "It wasn't there. And through a lot of hard work and a lot of people putting a lot of hard work into it, a culture was born out of nothing."

Though he remains third on the wins list, Auriemma's accomplishment is unprecedented in several ways.

He reached 1,200 wins faster than anyone else, reaching the milestone in his 39th season. Krzyzewski coached for 47 years and VanDerveer is in her 45th season.