NEW ORLEANS - Just when it seemed it couldn't get any better for Connecticut basketball fans, the Huskies made their biggest mark on history.
UConn defeated Tennessee 70-61 Tuesday night, tying the NCAA women's record with its third consecutive title. It also marked the first time in history a school has won men's and women's championships in the same season. The men beat Georgia Tech 82-73 Monday night.
"Right now, I don't think there is one single person in Connecticut who isn't unbelievably proud of the two basketball programs," Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said.
In the final game of her storied college career, UConn guard Diana Taurasi was somewhat mediocre by her standards. Yet she'll likely be remembered for an otherwise outstanding four years.
The two-time Naismith Award winner ended her career with 2,256 points and reached the Final Four every season. Taurasi, who led her team with 17 points, described the feeling of winning her third title as "tingly."
"I still can't believe it," she said. "Three in a row? You just don't do that."
The Volunteers (31-4) won their past three on last-second shots but couldn't eke out a fourth as the Huskies (31-4) outplayed them in the final two minutes.
"I think by most people's standards, they overachieved," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "By my standards, they found a way to win, and they're champions in that regard."
Barbara Turner's free throw and 3-pointer gave the Huskies their first lead at 10-6. They held off the Vols as they tried to catch up and then ... whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Four 3-pointers by Ashley Battle, Maria Conlon, Taurasi and Ann Strother, plus layups by Taurasi and Strother gave UConn a 30-13 lead.
For the last six minutes of the first half, Tennessee played more aggressive defense and kept the Huskies from scoring. The Vols went on an 11-point run and trailed 30-24 at halftime.
The second half began with a Shanna Zolman vs. Jessica Moore shootout, with Zolman lifting the Vols within three points.
"We had to do something," said Zolman, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "We had to find some way to start making some runs because we were getting defensive stops here and there but we weren't able to convert on the other end."
After Brittany Jackson's 3-pointer with 9:51 left, the Huskies lead was cut to two. UConn's Moore made a basket, followed by one by Strother, giving the Huskies some breathing room at 54-48.
Tennessee's LaToya Davis and Ashley Robinson scored on back-to-back possessions with 3:20 left, putting UConn four points ahead.
But when it mattered most, the Vols failed to score. When Conlon made two free throws, the Huskies led 66-57.
With 1:17 left, Robinson made a layup. Davis fouled out trying to steal the ball from Taurasi, who did not convert her free throws.
Rushed play kept the Vols from making their shots, and after Turner added one from the free-throw line, it started to look bleak for Tennessee.
In the final seconds, the Huskies played keepaway until Conlon flung the ball in the air at the buzzer and her teammates mobbed each other in the middle of the court.
