THE 2003 UCONN WOMEN WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOO YOUNG TO REPEAT AS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. WELL THEY DID HAVE THIS KID NAMED TAURASI AND WITH SOME HELP OF HER TEAMMATES, KEPT A WIN STREAK GOING FROM THE 39-0 CHAMPS IN 02’ IN FACT THE STREAK ENDED AT 70, LOSING THE BIG EAST FINAL TO VILLANOVA..MAYBE THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. LED BY TAURASI’S 26ppg IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT, THEY ROLLED INTO THE FINAL FOUR IN ATLANTA WHERE A VETERAN TEXAS TEAM AWAITED THEM IN THE SEMI’S. LED BY POST PLAYER STACEY STEVENS AND GUARD JAMIE CAREY.
THE LONGHORNS TOOK A TWO POINT LEAD INTO HALFTIME THAT SLOWLY REACHED 9 WITH 11:30 LEFT. UCONN NUMEROUS TIMES GOT THE DEFICIT CUT TO FOUR, BUT JUST COULDN’T GET THE BIG STOP. THEN FINALLY WITHIN TWO WITH 2 MINUTES LEFT OFF A TAURASI MISS, FRESHMAN ANN STROTHER GRABBED A HUGE REBOUND AND THIS TIME TAURASI GAVE THE HUSKIES A LATE LEAD. HER 4TH THREE PUT UCONN UP ONE…UP TWO IN THE FINAL SECONDS, THE HUSKIES NEEDED A STOP, THEY GOT IT (*) STEALING A 71-69 WIN FROM TEXAS.
TAURASI HAD 26, JESSICA MOORE BIG WITH 13p-6r, BUT THEY DON’T WIN WITHOUT WILNETT CROCKETT’S 9p AND 10r..MANY COMING IN THE SECOND HALF. STACY STEPHENS HAD 16p-10r TO LEAD THE LONGHORNS. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, TEXAS HASN'T BEEN TO THE FINAL FOUR SINCE. WITH THE VICTORY, CAREER WIN NUMBER 500 FOR GENO AURIEMMA…NOT DEAD YET, AS THE 2003 HUSKIES GET TO THE TITLE GAME..
TO VIEW THIS GAME, UCONNHUSKYGAMES.COM