Taurasi's 28 points carry UConn to national title

ATLANTA (AP) -- After winning the national championship last

year, Connecticut lost its four senior starters but still had the

one player it needed -- Diana Taurasi.

		Tue., April 8 Tennessee's inside game had carried the Lady Vols up to this point in the NCAA Tournament. But Connecticut won its second consecutive title by taking away Tennessee's inside game. Although the Lady Vols grabbed 40 rebounds to UConn's 22, the Huskies' interior players doubled-down on and outplayed Tennessee's posts, who failed to take advantage of second-chance points and capitalize on all those rebounds. Shyra Ely (six points, two rebounds) and Tasha Butts (four points, one rebound) never got going, and never penetrated UConn's defense. Kara Lawson played her heart out, but fellow senior Gwen Jackson, who played so well in the semifinals, never truly seemed to be a factor and wasn't able to step up and take over the game when her team needed it. As a result, Tennessee's offense seemed a little stagnate at times. Ann Strother's performance was incredible, and without her 17 points and clutch 3-pointers, I'm not sure the Huskies would be holding up the championship trophy. Strother forced Tennessee to split its defensive attention between her and Diana Taurasi, who once again handled everything thrown her way. She was sensational, and is the type of player we haven't seen in a long time. UConn's Maria Conlon scored 11 big points, and she benefited from Tennessee focusing on Strother and Taurasi. We know those two can create their own shots, but Conlon shoots better when she gets an open look. Tonight, she just had to be patient and ready when the ball was reversed to her. She obviously was, draining 3 of 5 3-pointers. UConn's defense outside the paint was crucial, too. They ran a box on Lawson, limiting her shots and shading her side of the floor. Tennessee also failed to generate many fast-break opportunities.

The fearless junior with the flashy moves proved that UConn

could rebuild and still repeat.

Taurasi ignored a sore back and ankle and carried the Huskies to

a 73-68 victory over Tennessee on Tuesday night for their second

straight national championship.

She always seems to be at her best against Tennessee, and she

scored 28 points this time, displaying the poise and passion that

made her the national player of the year and the Final Four's most

outstanding player.

"She's cut from a different cloth. She's got a lot of Italian

in her, God bless her,'' said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, himself

the son of Italian immigrants.

"I've never been around anyone who is just immune to the

pressures of the moment and just lives in the moment and has such

joy and passion for the game and shows it on every possession.''

The Huskies (37-1) won this third title game between the

nation's two premier programs, and it was mostly because of

Taurasi, who became the leader on a team that started two freshmen

and a sophomore.

She made 8-of-15 shots, including four 3-pointers. She scored on

a floater in the lane, a backdoor cut and even threw in a shot

left-handed as the Huskies capped a season of improbable success

that included a record 70-game winning streak.

"Before the game coach said, `You guys have to rewrite

history,''' Taurasi said. "We just did it together. No superstars,

just blue collar. We just had to do what we were good at, and

that's rebound, play defense and take care of the ball.''

Even with Taurasi's brilliance, Tennessee (33-5) still closed

with a rush after trailing by 13.

With Connecticut trying to eat up the clock, Tennessee ran off

eight straight points to cut the lead to five.

Later, Brittany Jackson pump faked and then made a 3-pointer as

she fell forward, cutting the lead to 70-66 with 1:01 left.

Suddenly, the Lady Vols had life -- even more so when the scoreboard

malfunctioned and showed them leading 66-5. It was quickly

repaired.

"We felt we needed to push the tempo and get some easy

baskets,'' Tennessee's Kara Lawson said. "I definitely looked to

push it a lot harder than we did the first half. I think that

helped us offensively.''

Gwen Jackson's layup drew Tennessee to 71-68 with 21 seconds

left and the Lady Vols fouled freshman Ann Strother. But she made

both free throws and Ashley Battle intercepted Tennessee's inbounds

pass.

The Huskies moved the ball so quickly that Tennessee could not

foul, and fittingly, it ended up in Taurasi's hands. She flung it

into the stands at the buzzer -- just as she did last year in San

Antonio -- and Connecticut began yet another victory celebration.

"She's the most amazing leader you could ask for, and she just

took control,'' Strother said. "She made me feel like I had to

come out and play.''

If any more evidence was needed that Connecticut has supplanted

Tennessee as the nation's top program, this was it.

The title was the fourth overall for the Huskies, who also beat

Tennessee in the 1995 and 2000 championship games and now have

beaten the Lady Vols four straight times.

Connecticut denied Tennessee and coach Pat Summitt a seventh

championship, delivering a further insult to a program Auriemma had

dubbed the "Evil Empire.'' Taurasi and Co. made sure it did not

strike back.

"It was a very intense, tough, hard-fought game,'' Summitt

said. "I thought our team controlled the boards, which I thought

was going to be a key to the game. Unfortunately, we couldn't make

the shots they did.''

Strother finished with 17 points, and the other freshman

starter, Barbara Turner, came up with 10 points on five tough

baskets inside.

Maria Conlon, the spunky 5-foot-9 guard, contributed 11 points,

six assists and four rebounds for the Huskies.

Those efforts brought another title in what should have been a

rebuilding year from last season's 39-0 club.

Instead, the UConn machine just kept grinding out victories to

become the third repeat champion, following Tennessee (1996-98) and

Southern Cal (1983-84).

They finished with six straight victories after their winning

streak was broken by Villanova in the Big East tournament final.

Tennessee, deeper and more experienced, got 18 points from

Lawson, its gritty point guard. Gwen Jackson scored 15 and Brittany

Jackson 13.

But when it ended, Lawson walked slowly to the bench with her

head down, her career over without a national title. She and Gwen

Jackson were the team's only seniors.

"I hurt for them, Summitt said. "I love Gwen and Kara. They're

like my daughters. I know they're going to do great things.''

Connecticut, on the other, might be on a championship roll. The

Huskies have no seniors, so everyone is back next season.

"That's the hard part,'' Turner said. "We've got to keep

winning because everyone expects it. They didn't expect it this

year.''

Ahead by five at halftime, Connecticut began to take control at

the start of the second half, and Taurasi -- naturally -- was the

key.

She started the half with a 3-pointer, Turner scored inside and

Conlon hit a 3. Suddenly the lead was up to 11, and not even the

thousands of orange-clad fans in the Georgia Dome could urge

Tennessee all the way back.

Taurasi converted two three-point plays, one on a

picture-perfect backdoor cut, to help keep Connecticut comfortably

ahead. Her niftiest basket came when she drove the right baseline

and made an off-balance, left-handed shot for a 65-54 lead.

"You've got to give Diana a lot of credit,'' Gwen Jackson said.

"She has been playing that way all year. The key to anyone guard

Diana is you have to bring a big ol' attitude. I think she got a

lot of open looks and she knocked them down the whole game.''

Just what the Huskies needed to win again.