Sales Gets Mark After All
Nykesha Sales limped into Connecticut's record book.
The senior forward for the second-ranked Huskies saw her career end Saturday when she ruptured her Achilles' tendon against Notre Dame. But on Tuesday night, she was allowed to score against Villanova and those two points moved her past Kerry Bascom into first place on the school's career scoring list.
In a deal pre-arranged by the coaches, Sales, who was wearing a large brace from her foot to just under her knee, was allowed to score off the game's opening tap when Villanova lined all five of its players in its offensive end of the floor.
After Sales scored the 2,177th and 2,178th points of her career, she was met by her teammates at midcourt, while receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
Connecticut called a timeout to get her out of the game and when the timeout ended, the Huskies stayed in their huddle to let Villanova score and tie the game.
Bascom played for Connecticut from 1988-1991.
Sales needed 29 points entering Saturday's game to get the record and she had 27 when she went down with 9:48 left in the victory over Notre Dame. She she was honored in a senior ceremony before the game and the win clinched the Big East regular-season title for the Huskies.
Sales is expected to have surgery on her right foot sometime next week. Team doctors said normal recovery is from four to six months.
As a freshman, Sales played on the team that finished 35-0 and won the national championship with a 70-64 win over Tennessee.
In every year since, the Huskies have been Big East regular-season champs and played in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Final Four again her sophomore year and losing last year in the regional finals.
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