BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Barbara Turner wasn't about to go home. The Connecticut senior hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left and two defenders on her to give the second-seeded Huskies a 77-75 win Sunday night over Georgia in the Bridgeport Regional semifinal.
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Connecticut's Barbara Turner celebrates after her final second three point shot that beat Georgia 77-75 to win their NCAA Regional game Sunday, March 26, 2006, in Bridgeport, Conn. Georgia's Megan Darrah (24) crouches on the court in foreground. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) |
They will play top-seeded Duke in the regional final Tuesday night.
Turner had a career-high 33 points and nine rebounds to help the Huskies (32-4) rally from 15 points down. With the victory, UConn pushed its NCAA winning streak in the state of Connecticut to 29 games.
Tasha Humphrey led Georgia (23-9) with 27 points, but picked up her fourth foul with 8:45 to play. In the closing minutes, Turner drove inside and scored six point on Humphrey. Turner's layup with 1:42 left gave UConn a 71-68 lead.
Cori Chambers tied it for the Lady Bulldogs with a 3-pointer on Georgia's next possession. Sherill Baker then gave the Lady Bulldogs their first lead of the half, making the second of two free throws to make it 72-71.
Ann Strother countered with a 3-pointer for UConn and the lead swung back the Huskies' way. But it didn't last long. With defenders looking inside for Humphrey, Chambers hit again from 3-point range with 20.3 seconds left to silence the partisan UConn crowd of 9,091.
After a UConn timeout, Turner got the ball on the right wing and, unable to drive inside with two defenders blocking her way, she fired up the winner.
At the final horn, Turner was mobbed by her teammates. Humphrey sank to her knees as her team and coaches gathered round her.
Strother finished with 13 points and Renee Montgomery added 13 for UConn.
Alexis Kendrick had 14 points for Georgia.