NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT SENATORS MAKE FRIENDLY WAGER ON WOMEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

New York Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today made a friendly wager with Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)on tonight’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game between the UConn Huskies and Syracuse Orange.

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have staked beer from Empire Brewing Co. and barbecue from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que on Syracuse.

Senators Blumenthal and Murphy wagered barbecue from Bear’s Smokehouse in Hartford and beer from Stony Creek Brewery in Branford on the Huskies, who are seeking their fourth consecutive national championship and eleventh title in program history.

“Our friends from Connecticut would be wise to remember that pride goeth before the fall. The Syracuse women’s basketball team, led by Coach Hillsman, has proven throughout the tournament to be undaunted by long odds and higher seeds, confidently dispatching number-one-seeded South Carolina on the way to a well-earned run to the final,” said Senators Schumer and Gillibrand. “In this supposed battle of David vs. Goliath, we are proudly standing behind our home team – an immensely talented group of women from Syracuse – as they fight for a first-ever national championship.”

“It's almost unfair of us to make this bet with our friends from New York. The UConn women roll into the Championship game with unstoppable momentum – undefeated not just this season, but since November 17, 2014,” said Senators Blumenthal and Murphy. “Already a three-time Naismith Award winner, Breanna Stewart has a chance to win her fourth consecutive National Championship, and Coach Auriemma can pass the legendary John Wooden by winning his 11th championship tonight. We are pleased to offer some of Connecticut’s finest barbecue and beer in this wager, but we are confident we will be enjoying New York products after the Huskies dismantle the Orange.”

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