Devil of an Ending for Connecticut

For 36 minutes Saturday, Connecticut was every inch the nation’s No. 1 team and Duke looked like so many other crushed contenders wondering what it took to beat the Huskies.

But then everything changed. Down 14 points with 3:53 to play, the Blue Devils rattled the Huskies with a full-court press, outscored them, 18-3, and stunned the two-time women’s defending national champions, 68-67, on Jessica Foley’s three-point basket as time expired.

It was the only lead No. 4 Duke (10-1), which had trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half, had in the game. But it couldn’t have come at a better time, enabling the Blue Devils to end Connecticut’s 69-game home-court winning streak.

“I feel very surprised and very proud of my team,” said Duke Coach Gail Goestenkors. “I’m proud of the comeback, but we have so much to work on. We got outplayed for basically 35 minutes and we were totally dominated for the first half. I am proud that we were able to come back and we never lost faith or focus.”

Duke came back because guard Alana Beard shook off a miserable first half (0 for seven, one point) to score a game-high 21; Connecticut star Diana Taurasi had (for her) an off day, making only five of 16 shots and scoring 16; and six of Connecticut’s 19 turnovers came in the final 2:02 as the Huskies struggled to get the ball past midcourt.

“I don’t ever remember losing a game quite like that,” Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma said. “It must have felt like a snowball rolling downhill to the kids. The look on their faces when they came over to the bench [during timeouts].... I didn’t know what to tell them. Each timeout it got worse and worse.”

As a sold-out Hartford Civic Center arena of 16,294 -- including WNBA coaches Richie Adubato (New York), Anne Donovan (Seattle), Trudi Lacey (Charlotte), Mike Thibault (Connecticut) and ‘60s pop icon Chubby Checker -- sat stunned by the unexpected finale, Duke ended several impressive Connecticut streaks.

It was the first regular-season loss for Connecticut (9-1) in 77 games, dating to a 92-88 loss at Tennessee on Feb. 1, 2001. Tennessee was the last team to beat the Huskies on their floor -- 72-71 on Feb. 2, 2000. Their 69 consecutive home wins since then tied the NCAA record set by Tennessee from 1991 to ’96. Connecticut had not lost in the Civic Center, the team’s other home arena besides Gampel Pavilion on the Connecticut campus, since Feb. 22, 1986, when St. John’s won, 62-47.

Before Saturday, the team that had come closest to beating the Huskies this season was USC, which lost to Connecticut by three points a month ago in Los Angeles.

“For us it’s the best comeback ever against the best team,” Goestenkors said.

Duke shot only 21.9% (seven for 32) in the first half. The closest the Blue Devils got in the first half was 18-11, but they then went scoreless for seven minutes while the Huskies ran off 13 consecutive points before settling on a 35-18 edge at the half.

But Duke didn’t quit on the game, staying close enough to make one final run at Connecticut.

Taurasi nearly won the game for Connecticut, making a five-foot bank shot over Beard with five seconds to play to break a 65-65 tie. But with no remaining timeouts Duke guard Lindsey Harding raced down the court and passed to Foley, who made the three-pointer over an onrushing Ann Strother.