San Antonio (AP)–Even the Connecticut players can’t decide if they’re the best women’s basketball team ever. All they know is that they’re the national champions–again. And unbeaten–again.
Pushed to the end by a feisty Oklahoma team, Connecticut scratched out an 82-70 victory Sunday night to cap the program’s second unbeaten season with its third national championship.
The Huskies (39-0) won in such convincing fashion this season–their average victory margin of 35.4 points is an NCAA record–they could claim with some validity that there has been no better team. Could, but won’t.
“When you’ve got players ahead of you, like Rebecca Lobo and Jennifer Rizzotti, you can’t be the greatest,” UConn’s Tamika Williams said, mentioning two of the stars on the Huskies’ first unbeaten team.
“Are we up there with one of the best? Yes. Can we challenge one of the best teams? Yes. But the game is moving so fast, there is going to be another four or five like us that is going to do some good for women’s basketball.”
And Sue Bird, what do you think?
“My team did a great job,” Bird said. “That’s why we’re the greatest–well, not the greatest, but one of the greatest.”
What matters in the end is that they were good enough to beat Oklahoma, and that, UConn coach Geno Auriemma, is saying something.
“This was, without question, the most difficult game we have had to play,” Auriemma said. “Oklahoma was unbelievably good. They were unbelievably good. I never thought the game was over until the buzzer went off.”
When the buzzer did sound, Connecticut had become the first school to go unbeaten twice. The Huskies went 35-0 in winning the 1995 title and they also won in 2000, when they finished 36-1.
Never mind that Connecticut finished this perfect season with an imperfect game. The Huskies committed 21 turnovers and missed all nine of their 3-point shots. They were so strong inside, it didn’t matter.
Oklahoma (32-4) often used four guards, and they were overmatched against the Huskies’ relentless rebounders, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Williams.
Connecticut outrebounded Oklahoma 44-25, the second largest rebounding margin in a championship game, and forced the Sooners into 38.7 percent shooting. “They just rebounded the heck out of the ball,” Oklahoma’s Rosalind Ross said. “We were blocking them out, but they’re so athletic they could jump right over us.”
Cash was the biggest presence inside with 20 points and 13 rebounds. She got it all started with three baskets in the first 2:41, two of them putbacks, and was named the outstanding player in the Final Four.
Jones had 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Williams also grabbed nine rebounds and scored 12 points. If a ball came off the glass or even if it was just rolling on the floor, one of the three usually grabbed it.
“Swin was incredible from the get-go,” Bird said. “She kind of set the tone for the game. Right away, she took it down low and she was really just pounding all day. When she’s aggressive, there’s no stopping her.”
Bird was pushed, knocked to the floor and hit in the face by flailing arms but still managed 14 points, including six straight free throws in the final 1:04 to secure the victory.
Diana Taurasi added 13 points and scored what might have been the biggest basket of the game.
Oklahoma, which trailed by 16 early in the second half, had just cut the lead 73-67 on a driving layup by All-American Stacey Dales with 2:15 left. The OU fans were screaming, the Connecticut fans squirming in their seats
Needing a basket to stem the tide, the Huskies went to Taurasi backing in against Dales. She turned, shot, drew the fifth foul on Dales and made the basket. Her ensuing free throw made it 76-67 with 1:04 to play and the Huskies could breathe a little easier.
“He knew I wanted it and that I was going to make something happen,” Taurasi said of Auriemma. “I took it to the lane and no one collapsed. So I just said, ‘Let’s power it up there” I got hit and it went in.”
And Oklahoma’s championship hopes went down with it.
“That was the play of the game,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. “And that’s when Stacey gets the foul and that changes the game.”
Dales got untracked after missing her first four shots and finished with 18 points to lead the Sooners, who made the championship game 12 years after Oklahoma administrators eliminated the program for eight days, only to reinstate it after a public outcry.
Ross scored 17, including four 3-pointers, and LaNeishea Caufield added 14. A gritty effort, just not enough, especially with Connecticut making 22-of-25 free throws.
“I thought we defended the heck out of them,” Coale said. “But it’s hard to guard that free throw line.”
Coale and Auriemma are good friends and delighted reporters with their banter at the pregame news conferences on Saturday. Auriemma has been a mentor of sorts to Coale and helped her get the Oklahoma job in April of 1996 when she was coaching at Norman, Okla., High School.
They coached with their usual enthusiasm Sunday night, but as the seconds ticked away and Coale realized that Connecticut would win, she looked down at Auriemma and winked.
“I’m happy for Geno,” she said. “It’s an unbelievable, amazing accomplishment to go undefeated not just once, but twice in your career. They made plays when they had to make plays.
“But I’ll tell you what, I think we scared them.” <</p>