Huskies Roll Over No. 2 Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, TN (Jan. 5, 2002) – In front of the
largest crowd ever to watch a women’s college basketball game, the No.
1 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team utilized a big
second half run to blow past No. 2 Tennessee, 86-72, in Knoxville, TN,
Saturday afternoon. In the battle of the unbeatens, UConn escaped
undefeated with a 16-0 record while Tennessee falls to 11-1.
Defensive tenacity and numerous turnovers
marked the game’s first moments, as neither team could open up a clear
advantage. UConn posted its first lead of the game, 8-7, on a jumper by
sophomore Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA) at the 15:35 mark.
However, the lead was brief as Tennessee
rolled off seven unanswered points over the next two minutes to give the Lady
Vols their biggest lead of the half at 14-8 with 13:33 remaining.
Undaunted by the Lady Vol run, the Huskies
responded with a 7-0 run of their own, eventually taking the lead at 15-14 on a
layup by redshirt freshman Ashley Battle (Pittsburgh, PA) at the 11:24 mark.
The lead would seesaw over the next eight
minutes before Taurasi opened a 6-0 run which would give UConn its largest lead
of the half with the score 35-29 with 1:52 remaining. Taurasi finished with 15
points in the first half.
UConn held the 37-31 advantage at halftime.
Tennessee started the second half with four
answered points, drawing to within two points of the Huskies at the 17:38 mark
before senior Swin Cash (McKeesport, PA) put UConn on the board in the second
half with a layup. The Lady Vols again cut the lead to two points on free
throws by Kara Lawson to make the score 39-37 with 17:16 remaining.
Two points would be as close as Tennessee
would get in the second half, as UConn went on a 37-18 run to blow open the lead
at 76-55 with 6:04 remaining. The Huskies maintained the lead for the remainder
of the game, rolling to the 86-72 victory.
Once again, Taurasi proved to be the Lady
Vol nemesis, recording a career-high 32 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the
floor. Cash and fellow senior Tamika Williams (Dayton, OH) added
double-doubles. Cash finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for her eighth
double-double of the season and Williams chipped in 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Senior Sue Bird (Syosset, NY) had 12 points
and eight assists.
UConn shot a remarkable 57.1 percent from
the field in the game, including a 60.7 field goal percentage in the second
half.
For Tennessee, Lawson had 17 points and
seven rebounds while Michelle Snow contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
Gwen Jackson rounded out the Lady Vols in double-digits with 10 points.
The official attendance at the
Thompson-Boling Arena was 24,611. The previous record attendance was also at
Thompson-Boling Arena, when the matchup between #1 UConn and #2 Tennessee on
Jan. 8, 1998 drew 24,597 spectators.
UConn next faces BIG EAST foe St. John’s at
7:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Jamaica, NY. The Huskies defeated St. John’s, 88-28,
earlier this season at Gampel Pavilion on Dec. 4. |
