No. 1 UConn holds off No. 3 Oklahoma, 86-72
Box Score
HARTFORD, CT (Dec. 22, 2001) – Senior Sue Bird (Syosset, NY) posted a
game-high 21 points and classmate Asjha Jones (Piscataway, NJ) contributed a
double-double with 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds as the No.1
University of Connecticut women’s basketball team held off No. 3 Oklahoma,
86-72, Saturday afternoon in Hartford. In the battle between teams with mirror
10-0 records, the Huskies escaped with their perfect record intact to improve to
11-0 this season.
After a jumper by Sooner forward Caton Hill gave Oklahoma the game’s first
lead at 2-0, UConn posted another one of its early runs, reeling off eight
unanswered points to make the score 8-2 with 16:42 remaining. The Sooners
responded by cutting the lead to 10-6 at the 14:29 mark.
Paced by its four senior starters, UConn then went on an 11-1 run to make the
score 21-7 at the 10:50 mark. But in a first half of lop-sided runs, Oklahoma
rallied with an 11-0 run of its own to cut the Husky advantage to 21-18 with
6:32 remaining.
A balanced offensive attack contributed to another Husky run to make the
score 32-20 with 2:58 remaining in the half. However, the Sooners would not
fade, closing the half with an 8-3 run. The halftime score was 35-28.
After leading UConn with 10 points at the half, Bird came out firing in the
second half, registering five points in a 13-6 Husky run to open play. Bird was
assisted by her backcourt partner sophomore Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA), who had
all 18 of her points in the second half after sitting out most of the first half
with foul trouble.
Oklahoma had foul trouble of its own, as senior All-American Stacey Dales
picked up her fourth foul with 19:44 left in the game. The UConn defense held
Dales to only 11 points. For the game, the Sooners as a team connected on only
35.6% of their shots.
Without Dales, Oklahoma chipped into the Husky lead, cutting a 14-point
advantage to four points with 6:34 remaining. The Sooners were led by LaNeishea
Caufield, who finished with 19 points, including 14 in the second half.
In the end, Taurasi and senior Swin Cash (McKeesport, CA) fended off the
Sooner charge. With the score 61-57 at the 6:34 mark, Taurasi posted six points
in a minute span to help open the Husky lead to 69-59 at the 5:09 mark. Cash
would contribute six points within a minute span as well, maintaining the UConn
advantage at more than 10 points with 3:04 remaining.
A series of free throws later, UConn walked away with its second victory over
a No. 3 team in 2001-02. The Huskies also downed then-No. 3 Vanderbilt, 69-50,
on Nov. 18.
All five starters scored in double figures for UConn. In addition to Caufield
and Dales, Caton Hill, Rosalind Hill and Dionnah Jackson posted double digits
for the Sooners, with 11 points apiece. Jamie Talbert also contributed 10
rebounds in the Oklahoma effort.
UConn will next face Cal State Northridge on Dec. 27. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
at Gampel Pavilion. |
