Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Tuesday, April 06, 2004

Sweep and three-peat completed.

Tennessee had its chances, but as it has done in each tournament game, UConn made the big plays when needed and held its lead.

Tasha Butts had a rough night and couldn't pull off another miracle finish. "I thought we were going to come back," she said. "But every time we made a defensive mistake, Connecticut capitalized on it. We had too many breakdowns and every time we did, they took advantage of it."

Taurasi goes out in style. "It's been an unbelievable ride, the last four years -- you just don't expect that when you come into a program," she said. "You want to be successful and expect do well, but to win 3 national championships ... it means a lot."

With the win, she further cemented her place in history. She has taken the college game to a new place, and now it's time for her to do the same with the pros.

"I grew up seeing Magic and Michael and I wanted to play like them," said Diana. "I take it as a compliment. But these days, we don't have to use males to hold a high standard anymore. People say, 'You play like Seimone Augustus, like Alana Beard.'"

But can anyone play like Diana Taurasi?