So the question that begs to be asked if you're a UConn Women's Basketball Fan is....Where does Kaleena Mosquesa Lewis rank among the great players in UConn History ?? Well she's a 3x National Champion, a 2x All American and the program's top three point shooter of all time. But having watched every one of her games in college, as she matured as a player at 6-0 with a solid frame, Kay became a solid rebounder for a 3...Of course that shooting touch is what she'll be best known for...
Growing up in California, Kaleena attended Mater Dei High School...One of the great girls high school programs in America. In the spring of 2009 after her Sophomore season, she committed early to play her College Ball at UConn...Her reputation as a shooter started at Mater Dei, making a school record 337 while scoring 2,744 points and hauling in 876 boards....In 2011, Mosqueda-Lewis was the consensus National High School Player of the Year in leading her school to back to back state titles and the Nation's Top Ranking in 2010 and 11....
When she arrived in Storrs, Mosqueda Lewis wore #23, the same number Maya Moore made famous at UConn the previous four seasons as a four time All American, and 3,036 career points...Kay wasn't fazed one bit. In games two and three of her career, she recorded back to back 25 point games, including an early season home win over Stanford..32 double figure games and 10 of 20+ that included a season high 27 with 7 rebounds in a win at Marquette. The 8x Big East Rookie of the Week was the Big East Freshman of the Year and 2nd Team All Conference. Not to mention winning the League's Sixth Player of the Year...But the Huskies finished third in the Big East as their 99 game home win streak ended on Senior Day with a stunning loss to St John's. The Big East Tournament, UConn would get some payback...beating Rutgers, St. John's and Notre Dame to win the title and get Geno Auriemma career win #800..Mosqueda Lewis 20/31 FG 5/15 (3) averaging 19ppg and hauled down 20 boards was named the Tourney MVP...In the NCAA's the Huskies won the Kingston Regional where she made the All Tourney Team. But Notre Dame would get payback in the Final Four..where Natalie Novosel's putback with five seconds left over Kaleena forced OT and the Irish won...KML with 13 points and 7 boards as UConn finished 33-5. Kaleena's freshman year produced 569 points, second most for a UConn Freshman behind Maya Moore. 93-three's and 83% from the line..
The 2012-13 season would be the last in the "old" Big East...The Huskies again would play four epic games with Notre Dame. But UConn had KML, Bria Hartley, Stefanie Dolson with Senior Kelly Faris....and a Freshman Trio that would leave a mark. Morgan Tuck, Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart. Stewie struggled once Big East play began, Jefferson was the backup point guard and Tuck was just steady eddie as a forward....Mosqueda Lewis however would have a great season..with 670 points and 118 three's, third most in a season at UConn...33 double figure games, 11 of 20+ and 9 times she made 5 threes in a game. 25 vs Penn State, 24 at Marquette, 25p-9r v Syracuse, a big 19p-10r double double in a narrow win at St. John's, 26p-15r in a loss to #1 Baylor in Hartford and 32 at USF. Mosqueda Lewis named a First Team All Big East Selection..and come NCAA Time she continued to produce with back to back 22 point games to open in Storrs, back to back 17 point games in Bridgeport to get UConn to the Final Four where she was on the All Regional Team and with 16 and 18 on Final Four weekend where they finally beat Notre Dame and Louisville to win National Championship #8...Kay not only made the Final Four All Tourney Team as Breanna Stewart blossomed in March and won the first of four straight Final four MVP's...Oh and let's not forget that along with Stefanie Dolson, Kay was named WBCA, AP and USBWA All Americans...Averaging 18ppg, and hauling in 240 rebounds with 89 assists in a 35-4 championship season that sent Kelly Faris out as a National Champion...
Now onto the American Conference for UConn, the 2013-14 season would be rough one for Mosqueda-Lewis. In game two against Stanford at home, Kay fell awkwardly and suffered a ulnar nerve contusion in her elbow where she'd miss 8 games...then four more later in the season due to mono....In her return from the elbow injury, the Huskies visited Duke in a 1 v 2 matchup. She came off the bench and made 7 of 10 threes as the Huskies lathered the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor...Kay would record double figures in 20 games and her last 10 games with 4 double doubles and a Triple Double in their second round win over St. Joseph's in the NCAA's with 20p-10r-10a. And she'd earn the Regional MVP in Lincoln, Nebraska. First a huge 19 point, 13 rebound performance against a big BYU Team in the Sweet 16..then more against Texas A&M in the Elite 8...Next stop Nashville and the Final Four...where the Huskies beat Stanford, then arch rival Notre Dame to win back to back titles and a record 9th for the program where Mosqueda-Lewis was named to the All Final Four Trny Team with an 18p-7r game against the Irish while Stewart and Dolson dominated the inside as the Huskies finished 40-0
The Huskies lose Dolson and Bria Hartley for the 2014-15 season and were the heavy favorite to "three-peat." Opening Night at UC-Davis started out great. Where Kay equaled the single game, UConn three point record with 10 made and 30 points. Three Nights later, UConn's 47 game win streak ended with an OT loss at Stanford where Mosqueda Lewis took some of the heat for the loss. Especially on the games last possession...But Kay and her teammates battled thru it as the season went on..And when #1 South Carolina came to town in early February, Mosqueda-Lewis led a balanced attack with 23, making 5 of 6 from three and the Huskies took care of business to reclaim the top spot...and they'd never relinquish it. Mosqueda Lewis earning 1st Team All Conference and making the AAC All Tournament Team as the Huskies cruised to the tourney title. Come NCAA time, again Kaleena stepped up...scoring 23 in her Final Gampel Game in round #2 vs Rutgers...and then in the Elite 8 game against surprising Dayton, Kay was 7/10 from three, scoring 27 and breaking the NCAA record for three's made to get the Huskies to Tampa and an 8th straight Final Four...First a win over Maryland, then Notre Dame in the Final. Where the Huskies made big three's continually in the 2nd Half to keep the Irish at bay. Mosqueda Lewis with a transition triple to start her own 7-0 run that finally put Notre Dame away to a third straight title...Kay's senior year her most complete season...565 points, a school record 121 three's made for a season, and 104 assists. One of five Huskies to accumulate over 100 that season. Mosqueda Lewis again named a WBCA, AP and USWBA All American...Her #23, like Maya Moore's #23 in the Huskies of Honor where KML amassed 2,178 points to tie her with Nykesha Sales for 6th on the All Time Scoring list...Consider the last two #23's scored over 5,200 points made a ton of threes. Kay first in three's made 398, 10th in field goals made (789), 2nd in three point percentage (.447) and 2nd in free throw percentage (.874) as a 6-0 at the three spot, averaged 5.3 boards per game (756 overall)
Following the 2015 National Title, KML was the 3rd overall pick of the Seattle Storm in the WNBA Draft...But her success at UConn hasn't carried over to the pros...Mainly off the bench in Seattle and this past season with the CT Sun, Kay has averaged just over 5 points per game in 12.5 minutes per game. Prior to the 2020 season, Mosqueda-Lewis was traded to the Sun for among others, her ex UConn teammate Morgan Tuck...
A 3x National Champion, a 2x All American and and a clutch postseason performer....Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a UConn Legend