Frustrated Connecticut Falls

One day after Coach Geno Auriemma’s frustration flared against his star player, Connecticut lost in the Big East tournament semifinals for the first time since 1993.

Boston College, a team that the No. 3-ranked Huskies had defeated twice this season and 27 times in their last 28 meetings, upset Connecticut, 73-70, Monday in front of 10,654 at Hartford, Conn. The No. 23 Eagles (24-6) advance to tonight’s championship game against Rutgers.

Auriemma had predicted his team would have a tough time in the league tournament and redoubled that concern Sunday after his team’s lackluster 48-34 victory over Virginia Tech in the conference quarterfinals Sunday night. During that game, he had benched his star, Diana Taurasi, the 2003 player of the year, for the last 7 minutes 54 seconds of the game because of her questionable fouls and the fact that she barked back at him after he barked at her.

“D hasn’t fouled anybody in four years, and I’m just sick of it,” Auriemma said after Sunday’s game. “You don’t sit there and argue with me. Nobody argues with me on the bench.

“This kid hasn’t been wrong in four years, and it’s catching up to her. I’d rather lose than let kids get away with that.”

Taurasi, who had four points and four fouls, was not quoted after Sunday’s game.

On Monday, she responded with 17 points, six assists, two rebounds and three fouls.

Taurasi tied the score, at 70-70, with a three-pointer, but she did not take the last shot Monday, even though she had possession with the Huskies trailing, 71-70, and 26 seconds left. Connecticut’s Ann Strother shot instead, missing a three-pointer with 16 seconds left. Taurasi rebounded and passed back to Strother, but the sophomore guard’s pass into the post was knocked away.

“After what happened last year, we wanted very badly to get [the title] back,” said Taurasi, in reference to losing the Big East tournament final to Villanova last season. “Especially here in Hartford, our home court. That’s the most disappointing thing. This is not supposed to happen here. This needs to sit for a couple of days. All I know is, one more of these and my career is over. I don’t want it to end the wrong way. I want it to end the right way and that doesn’t necessarily mean winning a national championship.”

Said Auriemma Monday: “We played a team tonight that was truly inspired.”

No. 3 Duke 63, No. 9 North Carolina 47 -- The Blue Devils (27-3) wrapped up their record fifth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title, getting 17 points from Iciss Tillis at Greensboro, N.C. It marked the third consecutive season that Duke has beaten North Carolina (24-6) in the finals, matching the Duke men (1999-2003) as the only conference teams to win five titles in a row.

No. 6 Purdue 59, No. 4 Penn State 58 -- Shereka Wright made two free throws with 4.8 seconds left and blocked a shot by Tanisha Wright in the closing seconds to lead the Boilermakers (27-3) over the Nittany Lions (25-5) in the Big Ten tournament final at Indianapolis.

In other conference tournament title games:

Temple (21-9) beat Saint Joseph’s (20-10), 53-48, in the Atlantic 10 final at Philadelphia, and Wisconsin Green Bay (23-7) recorded a 66-54 victory over Detroit (15-14) for the Horizon League final at Milwaukee.