Spring Break
Nova can't slow down Huskies
UConn defeats No. 4 seed Villanova 72-42 Monday night in Big East Championship semifinals
Mike Northup
Issue date: 3/10/09 Section: Big East Championship
HARTFORD - Villanova tried to slow down UConn's pace all night. In the end, though, the No. 4 seed Wildcats couldn't stop the top-seeded Huskies as UConn defeated Villanova 72-42 in the semifinals of the Big East Women's Basketball Championship at the XL Center Monday night. The Huskies will advance to play Louisville in the tournament finals Tuesday night.
UConn point guard Renee Montgomery said playing against Villanova - a team known to slow down the tempo of games and force opponents to play at their speed - was a battle all night long.
"They are extremely hard to play against because they are constantly moving, constantly cutting, constantly making screens," Montgomery said. "You have to make sure you communicate or else they're gonna catch you making a mistake."
UConn forward Maya Moore led all scorers with 17 points, while center Tina Charles added 16 points and guard Kalana Greene pitched in 11. Montgomery bounced back from a 3-point quarterfinal performance to score 12 for the Huskies. Villanova's Tia Grant came off the bench to finish with a team-high 13 points.
Much of the first half was a battle of two vastly different offensive approaches, pitting UConn's inside scorers against Villanova's perimeter attack. The Huskies held a powerful 30-to-2 advantage in points scored in the paint, while the Wildcats knocked down six 3-pointers to the Huskies' 2 in the first half. Ten of the Huskies' first 12 made baskets in the game came from layups.
UConn (32-0) looked in control early on, pushing the lead to double digits at 22-11 on layup from Charles with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half. Villanova (19-13) fought back to tie the game at 26 with a Siobhan O'Connor 3-pointer from the right side that capped off a 15-4 run. The Huskies held the Wildcats scoreless over the first half's final five-and-a-half minutes as they went on an 11-0 run, pushing the score to 37-26 entering the break. During that run at the 3:09 mark, Moore flew in seemingly from out of nowhere and blocked a 3-point attempt by Villanova's Lisa Karcic in the right corner. This sent the ball over the UConn bench and the XL Center crowd into a frenzy. The 3-pointer would have brought Villanova back to within four points.
UConn point guard Renee Montgomery said playing against Villanova - a team known to slow down the tempo of games and force opponents to play at their speed - was a battle all night long.
"They are extremely hard to play against because they are constantly moving, constantly cutting, constantly making screens," Montgomery said. "You have to make sure you communicate or else they're gonna catch you making a mistake."
UConn forward Maya Moore led all scorers with 17 points, while center Tina Charles added 16 points and guard Kalana Greene pitched in 11. Montgomery bounced back from a 3-point quarterfinal performance to score 12 for the Huskies. Villanova's Tia Grant came off the bench to finish with a team-high 13 points.
Much of the first half was a battle of two vastly different offensive approaches, pitting UConn's inside scorers against Villanova's perimeter attack. The Huskies held a powerful 30-to-2 advantage in points scored in the paint, while the Wildcats knocked down six 3-pointers to the Huskies' 2 in the first half. Ten of the Huskies' first 12 made baskets in the game came from layups.
UConn (32-0) looked in control early on, pushing the lead to double digits at 22-11 on layup from Charles with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half. Villanova (19-13) fought back to tie the game at 26 with a Siobhan O'Connor 3-pointer from the right side that capped off a 15-4 run. The Huskies held the Wildcats scoreless over the first half's final five-and-a-half minutes as they went on an 11-0 run, pushing the score to 37-26 entering the break. During that run at the 3:09 mark, Moore flew in seemingly from out of nowhere and blocked a 3-point attempt by Villanova's Lisa Karcic in the right corner. This sent the ball over the UConn bench and the XL Center crowd into a frenzy. The 3-pointer would have brought Villanova back to within four points.
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