Jan 13, 2004
Box Score?|? Quotes?|? Notes?|? Photo Gallery
By TOM COYNE
AP Sports Writer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Suddenly, Connecticut is no longer so invincible.
The fourth-ranked Huskies lost for the second time in 10 days, with Jacqueline Batteast leading Notre Dame to a 66-51 upset Tuesday night.
The UConn women had lost only one game overall the previous two seasons in winning consecutive national titles.
“We used to go through bad stretches and win. Now we’re going through a bad stretch and we lose,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.
Batteast had 23 points, 11 rebounds and a big blocked shot down the stretch, and the Irish finished the game with a 13-0 run. Notre Dame students, just back from the holiday break, rushed onto the floor to celebrate.
The defeat ended the Huskies’ 121-game winning streak against unranked teams, a string that began with a 79-66 loss to Boston College on Jan. 23, 1999.
UConn had won 33 straight road games since a 92-88 loss at Tennessee in 2001. The Huskies’ 69-game home winning streak ended Jan. 3 to Duke 68-67.
“The whole game we could not get over the hump,” said UConn’s Diana Taurasi, who was held to a season-low 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting. “We pulled to within three or one a couple of times, but could not get over it.”
The Huskies (11-2, 2-1 Big East) closed to 53-51 when Taurasi drove the baseline and hit a pull-up jumper with 4:50 left. But the Huskies didn’t score again, missing six straight shots down the stretch and turning the ball over twice.
The most decisive miss came with 3:17 left, when Batteast – playing with four fouls – blocked a jumper by Taurasi and came down with the rebound. Seconds later, she powered her way inside for a second straight time for a basket inside, giving the Irish a 59-51 lead.
“I think that deflated Connecticut,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. “I think they felt that Diana would save the day.”
Batteast, who scored five points during the decisive run, said she wasn’t worried about fouling out.
“I was thinking about the two points. I went straight up and got the block,” Batteast said. “I didn’t want Taurasi to hit that shot.”
Taurasi struggled again against the Irish (9-6, 2-1), as she has throughout her career, but this time the Huskies couldn’t overcome it.
“We rely on Diana to do so many things and that’s just not possible for her right now,” Auriemma said. “I don’t know if anyone could do what Diana did the last two years.”
 |
“Anytime you can beat a great team like this, it is great.”- Coach Muffet McGraw |
UConn last lost more than two games in 2000-01, when it finished 32-3 and was beaten twice – once in the NCAA semifinals – by eventual champion Notre Dame. They also were beaten 92-76 at South Bend by the Irish.
“This may not be as big a win as 2001, but it is certainly a bigger upset,” McGraw said. “Anytime you can beat a great team like this, it is great.”
The Irish held the Huskies to a season-low 31 percent shooting.
“I am excited with our defense,” McGraw said. “We started playing well against Virginia Tech and it carried over into tonight.”
Courtney LaVere added 14 points, and made just her second career 3-pointer, and Le’Tania Severe added 12 points as the Irish shot 59.5 percent and outscored the Huskies 32-24 inside. The Irish outrebounded the Huskies 33-32.
Jessica Moore and Barbara Turner led the Huskies with 13 points each.
Auriemma said because UConn has lost so infrequently, a loss always causes greater concerns among fans.
“The unfortunate thing is that when you lose at Connecticut, it takes on a bigger magnitude,” he said. “Notre Dame played great, got very loose ball, made every shot, took advantage of every opportunity. It can never be that simple.”
