| Forward Barbara Turner hit 11 of 13 free throws and led Connecticut with 23 total points in their win over Coppin State. For more photos of first round action, click here. (photo: Amber Walser) |
Final Box Score
2nd Half Play-by-play
1st Half Box Score
1st Half Play-by-play
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.; March 19, 2006 (AP) -- Away from home for the first time ever for a first-round NCAA tournament game, Connecticut got an early scare from Coppin State.
But after falling behind by four points late in the first half, the Huskies pulled away for a 77-54 victory Sunday night.
Barbara Turner had 23 points and Ann Strother added 11 for second-seeded Connecticut, which advanced to face seventh-seeded Virginia Tech on Tuesday night in the Bridgeport Regional.
The 6-foot Turner dominated on the floor, slicing through Coppin State's defense and getting fast-break baskets to help UConn open a 20-point lead by midway through the second half. Mel Thomas added a couple 3-pointers in a game-breaking run.
It wasn't as easy for the Huskies though in the first half.
Coppin State's Sherrie Tucker played smothering defense on UConn scoring leader Strother. Rashida Suber hit a couple 3-pointers and fed Talia Sutton for a transition layup before Tucker hit a 16-foot jumper to give the Eagles a 25-21 lead.
A crowd filled with vocal Coppin State fans cheered wildly, hoping of an upset. One fan waived around a sign that read "David and Goliath. Nothing to lose."
But UConn got going after Strother started finding shots. She didn't get her first field-goal attempt until about 17 minutes into the game, but it was a key one -- a 3- pointer from the wing that gave UConn a 28-25 lead.
With the victory, the Huskies snapped Coppin State's 21-game winning streak, which had been the second longest in the nation.
Eagles coach Derek Brown knew he would be a big underdog coming into the game, yet he harbored hopes his team might pull off an upset. He knew first-hand what that was like, too -- Brown was an assistant on Coppin State's men's team in 1997 when the then-15th-seeded Eagles beat second-seeded South Carolina in the NCAAs.
A No. 15 seed has never beaten a No. 2 seed in the women's tournament, though a 16th seed has defeated a No. 1 seed. That happened in 1998 when Harvard shocked top-seeded Stanford.
Even the band added a charming element to the Coppin State's underdog story -- the university brought the band from Crossland High School in Temple Hills, Md. to play fight songs.
The Coppin State contingent was far louder than the Connecticut fans who sat quietly for the most part behind the Huskies' bench.
That might be because UConn was playing a first-round game outside its home state for the first time ever. Coach Geno Auriemma said he didn't mind the travel and that it might eliminate some distractions.