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| When Virginia Tech left the Big East two seasons ago with Miami and Boston College to join the ACC the idea was to widen its athletic horizons. In terms of women's basketball, that meant competing with North Carolina and Duke instead of the frustrating task of trying to beat UConn on its home court in the postseason. Tuesday, the Hokies found their path to the Sweet 16 and the Bridgeport Regional again blocked by the Huskies, a program they had absolutely no luck against in the Big East. But this time it was on the neutral court at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. The horde of UConn partisans usually around to shout the Hokies down was replaced by a hardly audible flock about the size of a community book club. It didn't matter. After cutting a 19-point first-half deficit to nine, the Hokies lost their steam in the second half. Final: UConn 79, Virginia Tech 56. Same as it ever was. "We beat a good team," coach Geno Auriemma said. "There are no bad teams left at this point. "But happy? I don't know what happy is. I haven't experienced that in a long time, probably since my son was born 18 years ago. I guess I'm just less miserable. But I am happier." Still, UConn has won 10 of the 11 meetings and none have been close. But the Virginia Tech starting five, all of whom were around for the last meeting, a 48-34 UConn victory in the 2004 Big East tournament, weren't concerned heading into the game. "The last time we played them was before we lost to Boston College in [the Big East] tournament," Auriemma said. "It was a real ugly, fistfight kind of a game which set the tone for the next night. But I don't know if there's any similarity between that [UConn] team and this one. That team was weighed down by needing to repeat as national champions for a third time. This one is intent to do something for itself." In the end, the familiarity didn't help much. The two big reasons Tech went home were the two UConn seniors, Ann Strother and Barbara Turner, they professed to have a handle on. Strother (22 points, six threes) killed them outside, Turner inside (18 points, 16 rebounds). We were flat, we didn't play well," Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger said. "We're a different team than we were two years ago, just as they are. We got into a situation where shots weren't falling for us and we got frustrated. It's unfortunate, but it happens." When freshman guard Renee Montgomery converted a steal nine minutes into the game, the Huskies led, 21-10. The lead grew a few seconds later when Mel Thomas swished a three from the right corner. At one point in the first half, a UConn team that's had so much trouble sustaining its offense ran unabated on an 20-2 run that opened a 29-10 lead with 8:26 to play. The Hokies sat in a 2-3 zone and chipped away at the deficit. They had it cut to six (38-32) in the final 30 seconds before Ann Strother's three rebuilt the lead to 41-32 at the half. "We were experiencing a little lull at the time when they were going on a run," Strother said. "We needed to step up and make something happen." | ||
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