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BOX SCORE
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- With leading scorer Svetlana Abrosimova
ailing from a bad back, top-ranked Connecticut leaned on an old
reliable and a rookie to hold off No. 2 Tennessee 81-76 Saturday in
a rematch of last season's NCAA title game.
|  | | Sue Bird was key in helping UConn hold off a late Tennessee run. |
Shea Ralph, the Final Four MVP, had 15 points and two key steals
in a 19-2 first-half run that gave the Huskies (9-0) the cushion
they would need. She had a team-high five rebounds.
Diana Taurasi, last year's high school player of the year,
contributed 12 points that included a key 3-pointer with five
minutes left to hold Tennessee at bay.
The tussle of the two top teams in women's basketball lived up
to its billing, as the Lady Vols (11-1) rallied from a 17-point
deficit in the first half and were a 3-pointer away from drawing
even in the last minute.
"It was one of those games where I never felt we were in the
clear," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "I thought they would
come down a make a couple shots to get it right back."
Tennessee battled back with strong inside play and timely
shooting from Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall. Even timelier
were UConn guard Sue Bird's four free throws in the final 35
seconds to ice the game. Bird finished with 15 points and a
team-high six assists.
"The win is one thing," Auriemma said. "They way we won gives
you a pretty good feeling about the toughness of our team."
Catchings led Tennessee with 17 points. Her jumper off an
inbounds pass with 1:06 left cut the lead to 77-74. But she also
was called for an illegal screen 30 seconds later, sending Bird to
the line for her first time.
After Bird hit both, Kara Lawson scored on a coast-to-coast
layup to keep the Lady Vols within 79-76. Bird converted her final
two free throws with 19 seconds left on another Catchings' foul.
"I'm really proud of the way we responded in the second half.
We showed a lot of character today," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt
said.
UConn leads the series, 7-5. They've met twice for national
titles, and the Huskies won both, including last season's
dominating 71-52 victory in Philadelphia.
Saturday's game looked as if it was heading in that direction,
too.
The Huskies came out cold in the first half, missing eight of
their first nine shots. The Lady Vols took advantage in the
meantime, hitting four of eight and had a four-point lead four
minutes into the period. That's when the Huskies' transition game
took over.
Bird's 3-pointer with 15:33 left ignited a 19-2 run that made it
23-10. Ralph had five points and two steals in that run. The Lady
Vols had five turnovers in that same period.
UConn led by as much as 17 twice, but the Lady Vols rallied to
within eight late in the period. Michelle Snow went to work inside
and had six points in a 14-9 Tennessee run to close out the half
trailing 44-34.
Tennessee had 18 turnovers in the first half, but played more
sure-handed in the final period and had just four turnovers. The
Huskies had 11 of its 17 turnovers in the second half.
"We knew we had to execute and if we didn't we could lose the
game," Ralph said. "This was the real deal. We needed to get it
done."
Tennessee outrebounded the Huskies 42-32. Randall led the Lady
Vols with eight rebounds, getting six in the second half. She
finished with 12 points and Lawson added 13.
"We had to push it right back at them and then they turned it
over," Randall said.
Swin Cash had 14 points for UConn. Abrosimova, suffering from
back spasms, played just 11 minutes and had four points, all from
the line. She was averaging 16.4 points entering the game. Her
absence kept Taurasi on the floor for 22 minutes.
She showcased her shooting skills with 360-degree layup with
10:31 left in the game, then stroked a 3-pointer with 5:15 left to
keep UConn a 72-67 lead.
"(Taurasi's) playing with a lot of confidence," Summitt said.
"Four years of that? Imagine. I don't even want to think about
it."
The major East Coast snowstorm was not enough to keep fans from
this one -- the 16,294-seat Hartford Civic Center was nearly filled.
Auriemma praised the fans after the game, grabbing a microphone at
midcourt.
"I want to thank all you people for coming out today, we really
appreciate it," he said.
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ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
Tennessee Clubhouse
Connecticut Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Diana Taurasi says Shea Ralph is the heart of the Huskies.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Geno Auriemma says his team got the ball in the right hands against Tennessee on Saturday.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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