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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Connecticut showed beyond a doubt it's a
much better basketball team with Sue Bird than without her.
|  | | Tennessee's Semeka Randall, left, and Michelle Snow, right, fight for a rebound with Connecticut's Shea Ralph. |
Bird played with poise, smarts and conviction while scoring a
career-high 25 points in leading No. 1 Connecticut to a 74-67
victory over No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday.
In a game marked by bumping, physical play, Connecticut (12-0)
proved its mettle and toughness before a large crowd in a hostile
arena and ended a three-game losing streak to Tennessee (11-2).
"We played with a lot of heart," said Bird, a sophomore point
guard whose previous best was 14 points. "Maybe it was not the
best game we played, but we played with heart."
Another key point is that the Huskies played with Bird in the
lineup. Her freshman season a year ago was ended by a knee injury
after eight games and she was in street clothes when Connecticut
wilted in the closing minutes of a 92-81 loss to Tennessee in Storrs.
This time, the Huskies stayed strong to the end while surviving
23 turnovers and foul trouble. Starting center Paige Sauer fouled
out and three other Connecticut starters finished the game with
four fouls.
"Sue Bird was a difference-maker," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt
said. "She controlled the tempo, got the ball where they needed
and hit the big shots."
Svetlana Abrosimova added 14 points and Shea Ralph 13 for
Connecticut, which scored the first seven points of the second half
to open a 13-point lead and continually turned back Tennessee the
rest of the way.
Tennessee shot 28.6 percent (10-for-35) in the second half and
33.8 percent for the game and failed to capitalize on Connecticut's
fouls by missing 14 of 33 free throws.
"Both teams were very physical," Connecticut coach Geno
Auriemma said. "We got some huge rebounds. I think that was the
key. Tennessee, when they shoot the ball, they offensive rebound as
good as anybody in the country. I thought we got some key rebounds
we had to get."
Michelle Snow led Tennessee with 21 points and 12 rebounds and
Semeka Randall scored 20. Tamika Catchings, the Lady Vols' leading
scorer with a 16.2 average, scored only eight and starting point
guard Kristen Clement went scoreless and committed seven turnovers
while being outplayed by Bird at every turn.
"It was a big game for her," Summitt said. "Maybe she put too
much pressure on herself. She was too tentative and did not take
charge."
Bird made 8-of-10 shots and also had four steals and two
assists. During one stretch, after Tennessee had cut the lead to
55-50, Bird scored eight straight Connecticut points -- two
3-pointers and a pull-up jumper in the lane -- to keep the Huskies
in control.
When the teams met a year ago, Bird couldn't control anything.
"It's just a feeling like there's nothing you can do," Bird
said. "At that point, I wasn't even sitting on the bench. I was
sitting behind. I wasn't even involved."
Tennessee sold 23,385 tickets for the 29th matchup of the top
two teams in The Associated Press poll, and 20,789 showed up. The teams have the same rankings in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.
The crowd included a large contingent of Connecticut fans in an upper
level corner of Thompson-Boling Arena.
Despite her strong offensive game, Snow made a costly mistake
when she drew a technical foul for slamming the ball to the floor
in excitement after drawing the fifth foul on Sauer.
Tennessee trailed just 63-60 at the time with 2:57 left. Snow
missed both of her free throws and Bird sank one of two on the
technical. Abrosimova then made a layup on an inbounds pass from
Ralph 13 seconds later for a 66-60 lead.
"That changed the momentum," said Summitt, who'll take her
team to Connecticut for a rematch Feb. 2.
Snow's three-point play drew Tennessee to 66-63 with 2:25
remaining, but that's as close as it would get.
Connecticut, which did not shoot a free throw in the second half
until the technical, made eight of nine in the final 2:11 to wrap it up.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Connecticut Clubhouse
Tennessee Clubhouse
UConn's Sue Bird tougher than she looks
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