UConn Advances to WNIT Finals With 94-74 Victory Over North Carolina
Box Score
STORRS, CT (Nov. 15, 2001) -- With all five of its starters posting double
figures in points, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball claimed a
berth in the WNIT finals with a 94-74 victory over the University of North
Carolina Thursday night. No. 1 UConn will face No. 3 Vanderbilt, winner of a
72-51 game over Colorado, in a powerhouse showdown Sunday afternoon at Gampel
Pavilion.
Both teams struggled early in the game, as the score was only 6-4 in favor of
the Huskies at the 15:35 mark. As each squad found its offensive game, the
scoring columns lit up, as the Tar Heels kept the game close behind the
sharpshooting of freshman Leah Metcalf, who finished with a game-high 25 points
and five three-pointers.
UConn held an 11-point lead with 4:23 left in the first half before sophomore
Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA) went on a scoring spree. Until that point, the
standout guard has yet to score but Taurasi reeled off 12 straight points for
the Huskies to make the halftime score 51-34.
The Huskies opened the second half with a 5-0 run and maintained a lead of at
least 20 for most of the remainder of the game. UConn posted its largest lead of
the game at the 6:39 mark with an 82-52 edge, but the Tar Heels narrowed the
final score to 94-74 behind the shooting of Metcalf, Coretta Brown, who finished
with 17 points, and preseason Naismith Award candidate Nikki Teasley, who sat
out most of the first half with early foul trouble. Teasley had 10 points.
North Carolina finished with 11 three-pointers.
Seniors Swin Cash (McKeesport, PA) and Tamika Williams (Dayton, OH) each
registered double-doubles for UConn. Williams posted 10 points and a career-high
19 boards while Cash notched 16 points and 11 rebounds. For the game, UConn
outrebounded UNC 70-31, with the most rebounds ever recorded in a game against
the Tar Heels.
Senior Sue Bird (Syosset, NY) led UConn in scoring with 20 points while
senior Asjha Jones (Piscataway, NJ) rounded out the Husky double-digit scorers
with 17. Taurasi finished with 14 points.
UConn will take on the Commodores of Vanderbilt at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov.
18 at Gampel Pavilion. |
