Spring Break
Huskies sink Pirates
UConn clniches Big East Regular Season Title on Senior Night
Mike Northup
Issue date: 3/2/09 Section: Sports
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"We knew going in it was one of those unique events where it's more than just Senior Night, which is always a special kind of night for our team and especially for our seniors," said coach Geno Auriemma. "But when you have the chance to win a championship, it just adds to the importance of the night."
All three of the team's seniors - Renee Montgomery, Tahirah Williams and Cassie Kerns - were part of the starting lineup, as per team tradition and all got loud ovations from the crowd when their names were announced.
Auriemma kept Williams and Kerns, who both typically play reserve roles, in for the game's first three-and-a-half minutes before subbing in regular starters Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes with the Huskies trailing 5-2.
With the help of Moore, who sang the national anthem before the game with teammate Kaili McLaren, the Huskies then rattled off a 21-0 run, keeping the Pirates scoreless for nearly the game's next eight-and-a-half minutes. Moore, who finished the game with a game-high 18 points, hit two of her four 3-pointers during that stretch.
Montgomery, who in the first half went scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting, bounced back strong in the second half scoring 14 points. She finally made her first shot on a pull-up jumper from the top of the key, which rolled around the rim before dropping through the basket. From there, Montgomery caught fire, hitting four of her next six shots, all of which were 3-pointers.
ìWhen we put her name up on the wall at Gampel, she went off,î Auriemma said. ìAnd today she couldn't make a shot in the first half, so you don't know how it's going to affect a kid.î
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