ATLANTA — Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi tormented Tennessee again, and the Huskies proved they could rebuild and still repeat.
Leading a young team that had four new starters, Taurasi ignored the sore back and bum ankle that have bothered her for several weeks and carried Connecticut to a 73-68 victory against Tennessee last night for its second straight national championship.
Taurasi, who averaged 22 points in her first five games against Tennessee, scored 28 in this one with a variety of the flashy moves that made her the National Player of the Year and the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.
Still, the Vols (33-5) closed with a rush after trailing by 13. When Tennessee guard Brittany Jackson pump faked and then made a three-pointer as she fell forward, the lead was down to 70-66 with one minute and one second left.
Forward Gwen Jackson's lay-up drew Tennessee within three points with 21 seconds remaining. But guard Ann Strother, one of two freshman who start for Connecticut, sank two free throws, and forward Ashley Battle intercepted Tennessee's inbounds pass.
The Huskies (37-1) then moved the ball so quickly that Tennessee could not foul, and fittingly, Taurasi ended up with the ball. She flung it into the stands at the buzzer, and Connecticut began yet another victory celebration.
If any more evidence was needed that Connecticut has supplanted Tennessee as the nation's top program in women's hoops, 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 Vols four straight times. The title also makes the Huskies the third repeat champion since Tennessee (1996-98) and Southern California (1983-84).
Despite supposedly being a rebuilding year after losing four seniors from last season's 39-0 club, Connecticut's youth proved better than Tennessee's experience.
Strother finished with 17 points, and the other freshman starter, forward Barbara Turner, came up with 10 points on five tough baskets inside. Guard Maria Conlon also had a solid game, notching 11 points, six assists and four rebounds for the Huskies.
Tennessee got 18 points from point guard Kara Lawson, 15 from forward Gwen Jackson and 13 from guard Brittany Jackson.
If Connecticut's young players were nervous being on this stage, it certainly did not show. They attacked Tennessee early with near-flawless execution, scoring off screens, getting the ball inside to Turner and Moore and making three-pointers — six in the opening 20 minutes.
With the win, Connecticut might be on a championship roll. The Huskies have no seniors, so everyone is back next season.
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Chuck Schoffner
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Connecticut forward Barbara Turner (33) grabs a loose ball in front of Tennessee forward Shyra Ely (43) in the first half of the NCAA Women's Final Four championship game yesterday, in Atlanta.
