Once again, Connecticut looked overmatched at the half-- too slow, without hops, and cold from behind the arc. Again, the Huskies gave up a double digit lead.

Once again, UConn came back strong to tie late, this time behind the superior post moves of Tina Charles, who seemed to grow smarter and taller as the game went on.

And once again, UConn couldn't quite pull it off; Charles fouled out, Erlana Larkins-- who had four fouls for much of the half-- stuck around, and the Tar Heels regained the lead.

Compared to Saturday's exemplary matchup, this one looked a mess-- athletic, yes, but a mess, with 44 turnovers overall. Four UNC players had double figures; UConn's Kalana Greene scored 23, but the Huskies shot 1-12 from downtown.

Latta looked subpar for much of the game, but her last three-pointer was the killer: Latta recovered easily from Ketia Swanier's failed steal, then drained, with her usual confidence, an open look.

Tar Heels coach Hatchell: "We can get a whole lot better than we were out there today, but it is a W."

Compared to last season's disaster in Hartford, this year's Huskies look smarter, tougher, improved. Geno doesn't disagree-- and yet: "We're just not quite there yet," he says. "We can talk all we want about the courage that it took to come back, [but] at Connecticut, the only time you're happy is when you win."