Big East Women Rule Bridgeport in Second Round
by Ray Floriani
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Second round action in the Women’s NCAA tournament saw a familiar face and a newcomer advance to the Sweet 16. UConn dominated Texas en route to their 15th consecutive regional appearance, while Louisville, also dominant in a win over Kansas State, moved on to their first Sweet 16.
Louisville 80, Kansas State 63
Realizing they had a distinct advantage in the paint, Louisville went inside early. Four minutes into the game the Cardinals had a 10-5 lead and of greater significance, Chauntise Wright had 6 points. The 6-3 junior center was simply too much for Kansas State to handle on the blocks. Kansas State, in fact, took two timeouts the first seven minutes of the game as the Cardinals enjoyed a double-digit lead on the way to a potential blowout.
Kansas State did battle back mostly on perimeter shooting. With the lane inaccessible the Wildcats shot 10 of 22 from three-point range. Ashley Sweat (16 points) and Kelsey Nelson (12 points) did most of the damage. Late in the first half Kansas State got the deficit down to 6. After cutting a 13-point half time deficit to 10 in the first few minutes of the final half, the Wildcats looked poised to make another run. Just as they did in the latter part of the first half, Louisville regrouped and rebuilt a significant edge.
Wright finished with 13 points 5 boards in 21 minutes. She was far from the only weapon in coach Jeff Walz’s arsenal. Angel McCoughtry, an all-Big East selection, had a game-high 24 points and 7 rebounds. The 6-1 junior forward is a finisher in the lane and can step out and hit the perimeter shot. Like Wright, McCoughtry created a number of defensive problems for Kansas State. At the point guard spot is Patrika Barlow, a 5-6 senior who runs the team extremely well and can score as well. Barlow had a 13-point, 6-rebound evening.
Connecticut 89, Texas 55
From tap to buzzer the Lady Huskies were simply operating on all cylinders. Over the course of the initial four minutes it was 13-2 UConn. And Geno Auriemma’s club never looked back. It was 48-30 at the half and the Longhorns didn’t have an answer.
Leading the way for UConn was Maya Moore, as the outstanding freshman forward checked in with a game-high 24 points and 12 boards. Moore was superlative. In a two-minute stretch midway in the first half, the Big East’s player of the year buried three treys and ran down a Texas player in transition with a seemingly easy layup. Moore wound up blocking the surprised opponent’s shot out of bounds and brought the significantly UConn crowd to its feet.
Again it wasn’t all Moore. Renee Montgomery had a strong outing from the guard spot. Montgomery, a junior, had 17 points and added 5 rebounds and assists in a nice all-around effort. Post and inside play was another key factor. One of Texas’ strengths is in the paint, yet UConn dominated with a 41-29 edge under the glass that included 15 offensive boards. Senior center Brittany Hunter, getting her second straight start, had 10 points, while sophomore center Tina Charles came off the bench to add 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Texas’ main offensive threat was Carla Cortijo, who had a nice mix of penetrations and perimeter shots to lead the Longhorns with 18 points.
Overall, UConn shot a blistering 60 percent from the field and had too many weapons. Chief among them was Moore, who put on an exhibition not soon to be forgotten.
Notes
- It may be uncharted territory for Louisville, but not coach Jeff Walz. He previously assisted Brenda Frese at Maryland and was there for their 2006 National Championship run.
“We haven’t talked about Maryland much,” Walz said after the Kansas State game. “If it was mentioned it was to prepare our players for what is expected as you move on in NCAA play. This group has just bought in to who we are and goes out and lays it on the line each night.”
Senior guard Patrika Barlow reiterated Walz’s thoughts saying, “It’s like a business trip. We will enjoy this win then go back to work. We won’t be satisfied until we get a championship.” - Texas coach Gail Goestenkors spoke about a level of confidence prior to the UConn game. Goestenkors was at Duke when they knocked off the Lady Huskies in the 2006 regionals at Bridgeport. Duke finished NCAA runner-up to Maryland that season, falling in overtime in the championship. This time around she brought a Texas team that didn’t have a player with NCAA tournament experience.
Texas was 16-10 at one point in the season before going on a late five-game win streak to secure the first NCAA invite in two years. Texas finished an impressive 22-13, but against UConn had no answers.
“They are a very disciplined team,” Goestenkors said regarding UConn. “To beat them you have to put your heart on the line and play like it’s your last game.” - Midway through the final half of the opener, a Kansas State guard routinely brought the ball up the floor when the crowd erupted in a cheer. The UConn women entered the arena and took their seats to catch some first game action.
- Moore drew post game praise from a tough critic, her own coach Geno Auriemma. “When she does something good, you know something just as good is coming then something better,” Auriemma said of Moore. “The only person I’ve seen like that is Diana (Taurasi). She’s a unique talent and I’m just glad she’s playing for us.”
- Kansas State coach Deb Patterson was very proud of her team that battled through adversity. The Wildcats lost their best player, as Kimberly Dietz, an all-Big 12 selection, who suffered an ACL injury in the conference tournament.
“It’s hard to put into words the appreciation I have for this group,” Patterson said. “They had great resiliency and a determination that we can build on. Different players stepped up and contributed.”
Patterson noted that teams can be very vulnerable, especially mentally, when their best player goes down. “It’s easy to check out emotionally when you lose a kid like Dietz,” Patterson said, “but everyone on this team just has great heart.” - One of those players who did her part, as she has all season, was Shalee Lehning. A junior point guard, Lehning averaged 11 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. An all-Big 12 selection she was the conference leader in assists. Against Lousiville, Lehning who is a picture of poise and a pleasure to watch, scored 9 points while grabbing a team-high 6 rebounds and handing out 6 assists. “She (Lehning) is the best point guard we faced,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said, “and in our conference (Big East) we faced some very good ones.”
On The Baseline
- Louisville men’s and women’s teams are both in their respective Sweet 16. The cheerleading squad has title aspirations as well. Coach Calen Cook reports Louisville squads took two national titles at Daytona last Spring and are headed back in a few weeks to defend.
- Speaking of Louisville, the band played a personal favorite you do not hear too often, Cab Calloway’s Minnie the moocher.
- The Kansas Sate dance team gets the mention as outstanding and having the best uniforms. Coach Loralea Wood reported the team visited New York on Monday and stopped for a quick seminar at the Dance Institute on Broadway. That’s dedication.