Stanford Cuts Off UConn Reign

For the last three years Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma could boast without question he had the best team in women’s college basketball.

He can’t make that claim anymore.

There will be a new champion in 2005, and it could very well be the Stanford Cardinal, which ended the three-time defending champion’s reign in the Kansas City Regional semifinal Sunday, 76-59, in front of 3,143 at the Municipal Auditorium.

Stanford (32-2), ranked No. 1 in the polls but seeded second in the regional, will play top-seeded Michigan State here on Tuesday for the right to go to the Final Four. Sunday’s win was the Cardinal’s 23rd consecutive. And few could have been more satisfying.

“Connecticut has a great tradition, they have great players and a great coach,” Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said. “This is a huge win for us. Our team just did not back down.”

Indeed, the two heavyweight programs evenly pounded each other for the first 29 minutes. After that, once Stanford regained the lead at 46-43 on a three-point basket by Sebnem Kimyacioglu with 11:18 left, the Cardinal imposed its will, ending a 20-game NCAA tournament win streak for the third-seeded Huskies (25-8).

“We decided we didn’t want to go home,” said Stanford guard Susan King Borchardt, who had 16 points and three assists, and was credited by VanDerveer with helping contain Connecticut’s leading scorer Ann Strother, who had only four points.

“We’re having so much fun being on this team and love playing with each other. We had a great game plan, we just needed to execute it.”

Freshman guard Candice Wiggins made only four of 10 shots, but made 11 of 12 free throws -- including five in the last two minutes -- to lead the Cardinal with 21 points.

The Huskies got 17 points from forward Barbara Turner, but no other Connecticut player had more than eight. For the game, Connecticut shot 32.4%, and only 27.3% in the second half (nine for 33), and Stanford packed in its zone and dared Connecticut to beat it from the perimeter. The main problem the Huskies could not overcome this season -- below-par shooting -- had as much to do with the end of their title run as not having former stars Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird to keep things running smoothly.

“There were a lot of things missing this year,” Auriemma said. “In order to be a contender for the national championship, you first and foremost must have an individual or individuals that have the kind of talent that can survive in a game where the other team won’t let you run your offense. We struggled with that all year long.

“Making shots was a problem. And our defense bailed us out pretty much. But your defense can only bail you out for so long. I knew this was one game where our offense had to win it. And our offense let us down.”

Although both teams defended with gusto, turnovers were not a critical factor. Making shots was, even for the Cardinal, which shot 46.4% for the game. In the first half, Stanford made only 36.7% (11 for 30), and the Huskies weren’t much better at at 37.1% (13 of 35). But near the end of the first half, Connecticut appeared to steady itself and scored the last seven points before halftime, punctuated by Ashley Battle’s three-point basket with 5.3 seconds left, to go ahead, 33-27.

It marked the second time this season the Cardinal has trailed after the first 20 minutes. The other time was three weeks ago in the Pacific 10 Conference tournament semifinals, when USC was ahead, 37-32.

Stanford didn’t lose that game. And they didn’t lose on Sunday.