DAYTON, Ohio – UConn fans in attendance for Tuesday night’s women’s basketball regional final didn’t have an answer for Florida State’s trademark tomahawk chop.
A signature hand signal sure would have been handy throughout the Huskies’ stay in Dayton. The same goes for Norfolk before that.
There’ no way for Nutmeggers to motion along with the kind of dominance they’ve witnessed throughout the 2010 NCAA Tournament. But thanks to a fourth blowout in as many games, they do get to keep watching it.
For the 11th time in program history, UConn is Final Four-bound. The Huskies will take on Baylor on Sunday in San Antonio’s Alamodome with a spot in the National Championship on the line.
“When you’re sitting up here today knowing that your players are going to the Final Four, it doesn’t matter if its their first time, their second or third, or how many times,” said coach Geno Auriemma.
“It’s one of the great days in college basketball for a player or coach or anyone associated with that program. Everyone might have thought it’s a foregone conclusion, but that’s not what we thought. That’s not the way we think. Our approach is one day at a time, and one game at a time.”
The No. 3-seeded Seminoles (29-6) were indeed the Huskies’ toughest out in the region, trading buckets with the defending champs for portions of the first half and keeping the deficit under 10 heading into the final minutes. At game’s end, though, it was UConn’s defense – a unit responsible for an NCA- record-average margin of victory of 49.3 points per game heading into Tuesday – that keyed a 90-50 victory.
After leading 42-28 at the break, the Huskies (37-0) unleashed a blistering transition game in the second fueled by a bevy of blocked shots and steals. Precise outlet feeds followed, and those led to easy, fast break buckets. The lead swelled to 30. Then 40. Before it was over, a Florida State squad that looked more than game at the tip was reduced to another hapless footnote in UConn’s quest for a seventh national title.
The Seminoles shot an abysmal 18-for-63 from the field.
“I can’t say enough about how we came out at halftime,” Auriemma said. “The intensity level and the passion that these guys showed in the first ten minutes of the second half were truly incredible. It was a pleasure to watch.”
Maya Moore, who scored 11 of UConn’s first 15 points before hitting the bench with two fouls in the first, finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with her 8 rebounds. She was named the Dayton regional’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging better than 20 points per game with some of her most efficient sharpshooting to date.
“It’s a great honor,” said Moore. “I think our team winning makes it the most sweet. I’m just glad that I’ve been able to come through for my team. My teammates expect a lot from me. They expect me to score and to rebound and to be the best player I can be, making assists … whenever I can come through and show up for my teammates, that feels the best.”
Moore’s National Player of the Year running mate, Tina Charles, had her double-double quota met by halftime. She finished with a total of 20 points and 14 boards. Charles also earned a spot on the Dayton regional All-Tournament Team alongside fellow-senior Kalana Greene, who scored 15 points on Tuesday on 6-for-6 shooting.