HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- It was a first half No. 1 Connecticut would just as soon forget. The Huskies lost their shooting touch and their coach.

	UConn's women had plenty to celebrate after Wednesday's win.

The Huskies shot just 29 percent in the opening period against upset-minded Kentucky and quickly were down 12-2 in the first five minutes. Coach Geno Auriemma lost his cool a few seconds later arguing a foul and was ejected after two quick technicals.

Under associate head coach Chris Dailey, the Huskies turned up the intensity in the second half to hold off the Wildcats 68-62 Wednesday in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge.

"Everything was so emotionally charged (after the technical) we were able to live off that," Dailey said. "We fought back. That's a good sign for this group."

Shea Ralph found a wide-open Svetlana Abrosimova in the left wing for a 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining to give the Huskies a 64-59 lead. Abrosimova was able to elude the Wildcats' defense, which kept constant pressure.

"They lost me, I guess," Abrosimova said. "It was an easy shot for me."

After several lead changes in the second half, UConn guard Sue Bird broke a 57-57 tie with a pair of free throws with 2:22 to play.

Tiffany Wait made a tying jumper for Kentucky with just less than two minutes left, and Ralph's jumper at 1:32 pushed the Huskies out in front 61-59. Abrosimova then made her 3-pointer and followed up with two key defensive rebounds. She and Ralph each made a pair of free throws down the stretch.

"Our intensity level just skyrocketed," Ralph said. "It was a high we haven't felt in a long, long time. It was like we won a national championship."

The Huskies (2-0) had to overcome poor shooting in the first half and a stifling Wildcats defense.

The Wildcats, led by speedy guard Erica Jackson, took the Huskies out of their up-tempo game from the opening tip and raced to a 12-2 lead.

When the Huskies did get shots, they didn't fall. UConn shot 29 percent in the first half, while Kentucky (2-1) shot 54 percent. For the game, UConn won the battle of the boards 41-35, led by Abrosimova's 11.

"I'm very proud of our team," Kentucky coach Bernadette Mattox said. "They showed heart and poise. I think we showed we can play with the best in the country."

The Huskies advanced to the championship game on Friday against Old Dominion, which beat Clemson 68-57 in the earlier game.

Asjha Jones made the first UConn field goal with 15:04 left, starting a 19-8 run that gave the Huskies a 21-20 lead. That was short-lived because of two straight technicals on Auriemma, who protested a hand-check call.

Auriemma was ejected with 5:45 remaining as Wait made all four free throws from the technicals, putting Kentucky up 24-21. It was Auriemma's first ejection since 1992. The Wildcats extended their lead to 35-31 at the break.

"It's hard because we're asking our players to keep their composure under a lot of adversity," Auriemma said. "I really didn't set a good example."

Ralph led UConn with 17 points. Abrosimova finished with 15. Jackson had 18 points for the Wildcats.

Unranked Kentucky returned all five starters from a team that finished 21-11.

"Our slogan this year is 'Taking it to another level,' " said Wait, who fouled out with 11 points. "I think we did that tonight."