Spring Break
SHATTERING THE GLASS SLIPPER
Clock strikes midnight for Arizona State as UConn advances to second-straight Final Four
Mike Northup
Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: Sports
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One year after their 2008 Final Four loss to the Cardinal, the Huskies will get a chance to redeem themselves after defeating No. 6 seed Arizona State, 83-64, Tuesday night in the Trenton Regional Finals at Sovereign Bank Arena to advance to the school's second-straight Final Four and second-straight against Stanford.
As the game entered its final minute, the crowd of 4,758 at Sovereign Bank Arena rose for a standing ovation. With all the talk about pressure to succeed, the Huskies let it all fade away as they celebrated on the court after the game, dancing and cheering along with the crowd as they received the Regional Championship trophy marking the 10th time in school history that UConn has advanced to the Final Four.
"It's not been about 'National Championship or bust,' and we're just zombies or robots that are just going through the season not enjoying anything along the way," Auriemma said. "It's been one great event after another. It's been one great win after another; one great performance after another, especially with these two right here [forward Maya Moore and point guard Renee Montgomery] who played out of their minds tonight. We've enjoyed every bit of it and we love the pressure."
Moore, the Trenton Regional's Most Outstanding Player, led all scorers Tuesday night with 25 points. Her 3-pointer with 1:38 left in the first half put her first all-time on UConn's single-season scoring list, ahead of Kara Wolters' 694 set in 1995-96.
Montgomery, who fought off early foul trouble with three fouls in the first half, had her best game of the tournament so far, scoring 22 points on 11-for-16 shooting, with four assists.
For the second straight game, No. 1 seed UConn (37-0) overcame a slow early start to pull away for a double-digit victory.
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