The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: March Madness

Media Credit: Dan Gindraux The men's basketball team celebrates with its trophy after winning the West regional final against Missouri, 82-75, Saturday to advance to the Final Four.

When UConn walked off the court after Saturday's game against Missouri, the net on the Huskies' side hung tightly against the rim.

There was no ladder. There were no scissors in sight. It was a bad sign, a sign that despite everything the Huskies had put into their 30-4 campaign, they had come up just short of their goal of winning the West region and cutting down the nets.

But, as it turns out, that net clung to the rim as a matter of choice, not of force. After top-seeded UConn defeated third-seeded Missouri, 82-75, in the West Regional Final, the team made a collective decision to spare that net its life.

Apparently, there is another net out there - about 745 miles from Storrs, to be exact - that the Huskies have their eyes on.

"Hopefully we'll have the chance to cut it down somewhere else," Price said.

Despite scoring 18 points for UConn, Price was helped significantly by the play of freshman Kemba Walker, who seemed to be in heaven against Missouri's "40 minutes of hell" full-court pressure. He poured in a game-high 23 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and a 9-of-10 conversion rate from the free-throw line.

"He dominated the game," Price said. "They really couldn't press him; he was breaking the press, dribbling through two or three guys. He just played phenomenal today."

The Huskies jumped out to an early 13-2 lead, but were on their toes for much of the game, and even trailed - for the first time since falling behind 8-6 against Chattanooga in the first round - at the 13:36 mark, 50-49.

But, as Missouri coach Mike Anderson put it, "we just got stuck on 52."

The Tigers fell behind again after grabbing that brief lead, but never were able to get over the hump against the Huskies, who capitalized whenever they needed down the stretch.

Kemba Walker banked in a one-handed circus shot with 2:11 remaining to put UConn up 70-65, and after Missouri's Justin Safford answered with a bucket of his own, Price cemented the win with a short turnaround jumper at the 1:36 mark. When Missouri started fouling to extend the game, UConn went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

Continued...

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