Huskies handle Rutgers after 90-minute delayd
Storrs, Conn. No. 2 Connecticut was off to a quick start against No. 8 Rutgers in the Big East semifinal game Monday night when a major winter storm nearly gummed up the works.
Play was delayed 90 minutes to repair Gampel Pavilion's roof after it sprung a leak with 3:13 left in the first half with UConn leading 41-20.
But the Huskies didn't miss a beat when they returned and posted a 94-66 win to advance to their eighth straight Big East tournament title game.
The top spot in the nation is at stake when UConn takes on No. 1 Notre Dame in Tuesday's final.
Swin Cash led UConn with 20 points, and Diana Taurasi added 17.
"I told the players that's probably the best we've played the whole 40 minutes in a long time," coach Geno Auriemma said.
Actually, the entire game took more than three hours. The Huskies watched the movie, "The Kings of Comedy" in the interim and planned to spend the night in Gampel because of the storm.
"It gave us something to do," said Shea Ralph, who had a team-high seven rebounds. "We were laughing and staying awake. Our spirit was high in the locker room and it was our job to make it stay that way."
UConn used its quick transition game and dominating post play to built a 26-3 run in the first 10 minutes. Forwards Cash and Asjha Jones combined for 19 points in the run.
"We were getting a lot of 1-on-1 in the lane and that's why we wanted to get the ball inside," Cash said.
The Huskies had a 23-6 rebounding edge and a 50-23 lead going into the break.
"They have tremendous talent and depth," Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "Sometimes Connecticut is just that great and they make you look bad."
Tasha Pointer led Rutgers (22-7) with 18 points.
UConn played without point guard Sue Bird, who sat out with back spasms.
The championship game is the second meeting this season between UConn and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish beat UConn 92-76 in South Bend on Jan. 15.
About 5,000 fans braved the elements, despite an earlier plea from Gov. John G. Rowland to stay off the roads.
"It was so amazing to me," Cash said of the fan turnout. "We wanted to come out and let them know that we heard them tonight."
One of the loudest cheers went up for Bill Sehl, the building engineer who was hoisted 100 feet inside the arena to fix the leak.
No. 1 Notre Dame 67,
Virginia Tech 49
Storrs, Conn. Notre Dame regained the No. 1 ranking Monday, then booted Virginia Tech from the Big East tournament with a dominating semifinal win.
The Fighting Irish (28-1) advanced to their fourth championship game since joining the conference six years ago. They'll play Connecticut, who beat Rutgers 94-66, in the championship game. The Irish have lost all three finals to Connecticut, which moved up to No. 2.
Alicia Ratay and Kelly Siemon led Notre Dame with 14 points apiece. Ratay had eight points in a 26-3 first-half run that staggered the Hokies.
Ruth Riley, the Big East player of the year averaging 18.1 points going in, was held to just two, both on free throws.
No. 5 Duke 57,
No. 18 NC State 45
Greensboro, N.C. Freshman Alana Beard scored 18 points to lead Duke to its second consecutive ACC tournament title with a victory over North Carolina State.
Michele Matyasovsky added 14 points for the Blue Devils (28-3), who improved to 8-0 in Greensboro Coliseum.
The game was a matchup of the ACC's top offense in Duke and the top defense in N.C. State (20-10). The Wolfpack did a good job on Duke guard Georgia Schweitzer, who scored a combined 52 points in the first two games of the tournament, but was held to nine on Monday night.
Talisha Scates led N.C. State with 11 points.
No. 6 Louisana Tech 74,
North Texas 57
Mobile, Ala. Ayana Walker scored 17 points to lead six players in double figures as Louisiana Tech beat North Texas to reach the final of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
The Lady Techsters (25-4) have won 15 straight games and 20 of 21, and will chase their sixth straight league tournament title on Tuesday against Denver, a 78-67 winner over Florida International.
Jalie Mitchell led North Texas (19-10) with 19 points.
No. 12 Xavier 81,
George Washington 56
Philadelphia Reetta Piipari made six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points to lead Xavier to its second straight Atlantic 10 Conference title.
The Musketeers (28-2) also beat the Colonials last season in the title game, and won the third conference title in their history.
Jennifer Phillips, the tournament MVP, had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Taru Tuukkanen scored 16 for Xavier, which has won 17 straight. The Musketeers, 17-0 this season when they score 80 or more points, tied a tournament record with 12 3-pointers.
Erica Lawrence scored 17 points to lead George Washington (22-9).
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