Moore leads All-America team

Associated Press

This is now an annual rite of spring for Maya Moore, who is fast joining some of the greatest players in women’s college basketball.

The Connecticut junior was honored as an All-American by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the third straight year she has made the team.

She was joined on the squad by teammate Tina Charles, Nebraska’s Kelsey Griffin, Virginia’s Monica Wright and Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender.

Moore is the fourth three-time AP All-American. The others are Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw, Duke’s Alana Beard and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris.

“To be in that same category is surreal,” said Moore, who next season can match Paris as the only four time All-American. “I definitely looked up to Chamique Holdsclaw and Alana Beard. I remember thinking how great those women were growing up as a little kid watching the Final Fours.”

This marks the second straight season the unbeaten Huskies had two first-team All-Americans.

“I think it’s even cooler because you get to share it with your teammates,” Moore said. “It’s always nice to be recognized for the hard work that we do.”

Moore and Charles have helped UConn to an NCAA-record 75 straight wins.

Both received 200 points and were unanimous choices among the 40-member national media panel that votes in the weekly Top 25.

Like Charles, Lavender was a second-team All-American last season. The Ohio State center powered the Buckeyes to their fourth-straight Big Ten title.

Griffin helped Nebraska win its first 30 games before a loss in the Big 12 conference tournament semifinals. The Alaskan then got the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA regional semifinals before losing to Kentucky.

Wright became the first Virginia player to make the first team.

She finished her career with a school-record 2,540 points.

The second team consisted of Oklahoma State senior Andrea Riley, Stanford senior Jayne Appel and sophomore Nnemka Ogwumike, Middle Tennessee State senior Alysha Clark and Baylor freshman Brittney Griner.

The third team was: Oklahoma junior Danielle Robinson, Duke junior Jasmine Thomas, Kentucky junior Victoria Dunlap, Delaware freshman Elena Delle Donne and Xavier junior Amber Harris.