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Friday, Mar. 10 7:00pm ET
Huskies will meet St. John's in final

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NEW YORK (AP) -- The bounce is back in Connecticut's step, and the Huskies, who rarely have looked like defending national champions this season, are strutting through the Big East tournament.


	Kevin Freeman flushes home two of his 16 points.

UConn earned a shot at an unprecedented third straight conference tournament championship and fourth in five years Friday night, pulling away in the final 10 minutes to defeat Georgetown 70-55.

The Huskies (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP), defending national champions but seeded just fourth in this tournament after an in-and-out regular season, are the first team in the 21-year history of the league to reach the title game after playing on the tournament's opening day.

"We know in the month of March is when we really have to win," point guard Khalid El-Amin said. "We're ready. Our confidence is up."

El-Amin, who scored 30 points the day before against Seton Hall, had just 11 against Georgetown, but had six assists.

"Yesterday, I was a scorer," he said. "Tonight, I was a point guard. You have to know which night you play which role."

The scorers Friday were Albert Mouring and Kevin Freeman, who led UConn with 16 apiece. It was consecutive 3-point baskets by Mouring that touched off a 10-0 run in the final 10 minutes and pulled the Huskies out of reach.

"The first 30 minutes, it was up and down the court for both teams," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. "Then we decided to play some defense and made some good stops."

UConn's defense shut out Georgetown for nearly eight minutes, and by the time the Hoyas scored again on a 3-pointer by Lee Scruggs, who had a career-high 27 points, the Huskies had the game under control.

Mouring and El-Amin made six straight free throws in the final minutes to seal the victory for Connecticut (24-8), which posted its ninth straight Big East tournament victory, a record.

It was the third solid tournament game in three nights for Mouring, who had 12 and 11 in UConn's first two victories.

"I think he has a terrific feel of what I call dagger points," Calhoun said. "He knows what dagger points are, and I think he's a terrific, terrific shooter. He seems to have the moment."

Mouring and Freeman compensated for a subpar game by Jake Voskuhl, who managed just two points in 22 minutes. Ajou Deng was UConn's other double-figure scorer with 10 as the Huskies won their sixth straight game.

Scruggs, who pulled down 10 rebounds, scored 18 points in the first half as Georgetown gave Connecticut all it could handle. The Hoyas (18-14) led by as many as eight points early, but a five-point possession by Connecticut gave the Huskies a big boost.

After Doug Wrenn dunked to put Connecticut in front 27-25, Georgetown coach Craig Eserick was charged with a technical. Mouring converted one of two free throws, and Connecticut retained possession and got another basket from Freeman for a 30-25 lead.

Georgetown managed to tie it 33-33, but Mouring scored the final basket of the half, and the Huskies led 35-33 at halftime.

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