Tennessee Tops No. 1 Connecticut

STORRS, Conn.--It all came down to experience. Tennessee's sophomores proved too much for Connecticut's freshmen.

Teresa Geter, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall scored all of No. 2 Tennessee's points in a 16-5 run with three minutes left in the game to snap a 76-76 tie and beat No. 1 Connecticut yesterday, 92-81.

The win snapped UConn's 54-game home win streak, the longest in the nation.

"In order to win the big games, you've got to make the big plays," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

No play loomed larger than Catchings' 3-pointer with 2:37 remaining, giving Tennessee a 5-point lead at 81-76.

Randall and Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee's career scoring leader, each had 25 points. Catchings finished with 18.

"When it was time to really win the game--there was no tentativeness about them," said UConn coach Geno Auriemma. "Some of our young guys were a little unsure."

The Lady Vols (13-1) evened the series at 4-4 and avenged a 1996 loss to UConn (13-1) that snapped Tennessee's NCAA record 69-game home win streak.

Tennessee's late run broke open a game that was mostly back-and-forth in the second half. Teresa Geter started the spurt with a jumper at 3:17 and Catchings took advantage of a turnover and hit a 3-pointer.

After Geter made two free throws, Randall completed a three-point play on another a foul by Svetlana Abrosimova that sent UConn's scoring leader to the bench with her fifth.

Catchings' layup put Tennessee up 88-76 with 1:05 left. After a pair of foul shots by UConn's Swin Cash and a 3-pointer from Keirsten Walters, Randall closed out the game with back-to-back baskets.

"Mentally I was ready for this game," Randall said. "In the past, I haven't been as intense as I needed to be for my basketball team."

UConn had two brief leads the second half. Walters' 3-pointer at 11:03 put the Huskies up 61-60 and Cash gave UConn a 68-67 edge with a foul shot with 6:50 left.

Both teams played their up-tempo style from the opening tip. The Huskies got their only lead of the half early on Walters' 3-pointer, but Holdsclaw scored the next three baskets as part of a 10-2 run capped by Kellie Jolly's four-point play.

"We were committed to our running game and they were committed to theirs," said Summitt.

Tennessee led 42-36 at halftime. The Lady Vols outrebounded UConn 47-32, led by Holdsclaw's nine.

Cash, one of five highly touted freshman for UConn, led the Huskies with 19 points. Abrosimova had 11 before fouling out.

"I think experience came into play at the end of the game," Cash said. "We just made a couple crucial mistakes with the ball. I think we were right in there till the end even when Catchings made that 3-pointer."