PITTSBURGH (AP) – Connecticut wasn't about to let anyone steal
its "C."
Diana Taurasi gave defending champion Connecticut a big lead
with her 3-point shooting and the Huskies overcame a slapdash
second half to beat North Carolina State 72-58 Saturday and reach
the East Regional final.
|  | | Connecticut's Swin Cash had 11 points and 11 rebounds to help the Huskies advance. |
Not even the presence of Steelers coach Bill Cowher and his
wife, Kaye, a former N.C. State player, could rally the Wolfpack,
who tried motivating themselves by wearing practice jerseys bearing
Connecticut's trademark "C" design.
Taurasi, the nation's most heavily recruited high school player
a year ago, had 24 points – 19 in a first half in which she was
5-for-5 from 3-point range.
"I don't think I've seen a young kid play as well in a
tournament game as she did," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said.
Sue Bird had 16 and seven assists as UConn won its ninth in a
row in NCAA tournament play.
The Huskies (31-2) can reach their fifth women's Final Four
since 1991 on Monday by beating Louisiana Tech, a 78-67 winner over
Missouri earlier Saturday. The two longtime powers have four NCAA
titles between them, yet have never met in an NCAA tournament game.
The Huskies did win at Tech 71-55 on Jan. 7 in a regular-season
game.
"It's going to be a tough, physical, rough game," Taurasi
said. "Their big players are very strong and we're going to have
to be ready for that."
Connecticut and N.C. State have met before – as the Huskies were
frequently reminded all week. N.C. State upset heavily favored
UConn 60-52 in the 1998 East Regional championship, a loss Auriemma
counts as one of the worst of his career.
This time, the Wolfpack (22-11) weren't about to sneak up on the
Huskies. Even though Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph –
All-American selections last season – are injured and out for the
season, and a nervous Swin Cash, playing in front of a hometown
crowd, had a subpar game, UConn opened a 12-0 lead in the first 3½
minutes and led by as many as 20 points before halftime.
It's one thing to imitate the Huskies, but another to beat them.
"It was a tough draw, having to play them," Wolfpack coach Kay
Yow said. "Getting down 12-0, I just didn't want to let that
happen. Teams just don't shoot 58 percent in a half against us like
they did. They caught us a little off guard, and we didn't play
tough enough on those two (Taurasi and Bird)."
The Huskies may be missing its two best returning players, but
they have the deepest bench in the women's game – as evidenced by
Taurasi. A reserve for most of the season as she adjusted from
being a high school star in Chino, Calif., to college ball, Taurasi
made six of seven shots in the first half.
Taurasi finished 8-of-13, including 6-of-8 on 3-pointers, after
going 2-for-14 and scoring 6 points Monday in a 89-44 victory over
Colorado State.
"Yeah, but she doesn't remember the ones she missed, only the
two she made," Auriemma said. "When she gets open and makes a
couple ... she is a very confident player."
Bird effectively ran the Huskies' offense, driving to the basket
when she saw an opening or spinning it off to Taurasi for her
pullup jumpers.
The Huskies, who won their first two tournament games by an
average of 58 points, seemed a little too at ease in the second
half, scoring only 13 points in the first 10 minutes of the half.
The Huskies also had 18 turnovers and were only 10-of-22 from the
foul line.
Not that it mattered – except to Auriemma, the perfectionist.
"I'm not very happy. We set high standards around here,"
Auriemma said. "Let's just say we're not going to go to the best
restaurant in town to celebrate."
Cash, playing before a sizable group of fans from her nearby
hometown of McKeesport, Pa., seemed to be pressing at times and was
only 1-for-8 at the line, although she had 11 points and 11
rebounds.
"It kind of puts a damper on the victory, but we can't dwell on
the second half. We just have to fix it before Monday," Cash said.
Tynesha Lewis, a senior who was the only N.C. State player who
played a significant role in the 1998 upset, played a strong game
with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Carisse Moody added
19 points. But only four State players scored more than two points.
"Our effort was there," Lewis said. "Our execution wasn't."
Connecticut's road to another national title might have gotten
easier with Tennessee's upset loss Saturday to Xavier. UConn beat
Tennessee 71-52 in the 2000 title game.
"I don't give two rips about Tennessee," Auriemma said. "I
could care less."
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ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
North Carolina State Clubhouse
Connecticut Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Kelly Schumacher spins in the lane and hits a jumper.
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Diana Taurasi takes the dish and hits a turnaround jumper.
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Carisse Moody hits a one-handed jumper and draws a foul.
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Sue Bird grabs a rebound and takes it the distance for a hoop.
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 Sue Bird says the Huskies let N.C. State back in the game in the second half.
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Geno Auriemma tries to find the positives in the Huskies win over N.C. State.
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