UConn continues hunt for sixth national championship in second-round matchup with Hokies
3/20/2006 3:54 PM
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Second-seeded Connecticut continues its quest to recapture the national title when it takes on No. 7 Virginia Tech in the second round of the Bridgeport Regional on Tuesday.
The Huskies (30-4) began their push to regain the title Sunday, defeating Coppin State 77-54 at State College, Pa. UConn, which won three straight championships before falling to Stanford in a regional semifinal last year, wasn't at its best against Coppin State, falling behind by four points late in the first half.
UConn finally came on and opened a 20-point lead by midway through the second period, as Barbara Turner finished with 23 points and Ann Strother added 11.
The Huskies hadn't played since defeating West Virginia to win the Big East tournament March 7, and were playing a first-round NCAA tournament game outside their home state for the first time.
``I think it was just getting the rust out,'' said Strother, who didn't attempt a field goal until hitting a 3-pointer that gave UConn a 28-25 lead 17 minutes into the game. ``At halftime we came in and were like, 'Wow, we haven't played in a while,' and it was good to kind of get it going and get our legs back in the second half.''
UConn shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the second half after connecting on 44.4 percent of its shots in the opening 20 minutes. Four Huskies scored in double figures.
``All in all, I'm not surprised by anything that happens in the tournament,'' Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. ``It's not going to be easy. It's not supposed to be easy.''
Virginia Tech (21-9) routed Missouri 71-43 on Sunday, opening the game on a 17-4 run and closing with a 26-3 burst. The Hokies outscored Missouri 58-20 in the paint and scored 32 points off of turnovers.
Senior guard Dawn Chriss led five Virginia Tech players in double figures with 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
The Hokies are in the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in nine years, but are trying to advance past the second round for just the second time in school history.
UConn leads the series with Virginia Tech 9-1, winning the most recent meeting 48-34 in the 2004 Big East tournament quarterfinals.
Tuesday's winner will face third-seeded Georgia or No. 11 Hartford on Sunday.
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