Irish draw comparisons to Husky championship team
By TIM CASEY
Assistant Sports Editor
ST. LOUIS
Is this the beginning of a dynasty in women's basketball?
It's still too early to tell. Notre Dame loses five seniors, including three starters, but has one of the nation's top five recruiting classes heading to South Bend in the fall.
But look at the following comparisons between the 1994-95 Connecticut team and this year's Notre Dame squad. The Huskies won their first national title in 94-95 and went on to become the nation's premier program.
In 1991, Connecticut appeared in the Final Four for the first time. Five seasons later, the Huskies were national champions.
In 1997, Notre Dame was in its first Final Four. Five seasons later, the Irish were national champions.
On Jan. 16, 1995, No. 2 appeared Connecticut beat No. 1 Tennessee 77-66 before a sold-out Gampel Pavilion. In the Huskies previous contest, against Seton Hall, star center Rebecca Lobo dislocated her finger. In the game against Tennessee, on Martin Luther King Day, Lobo had 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
On Jan. 15, 2001, No. 3 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Connecticut 92-76 before a sold-out Joyce Center. In the Irish's previous contest, against Virginia Tech, star center Ruth Riley injured her right ankle. In the game against Connecticut, on Martin Luther King Day, Riley had 29 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Following the victories, both Connecticut and Notre Dame were ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history.
In the 1995 Elite Eight, Connecticut beat Virginia 67-63. Geno Auriemma, the Huskies coach, served as an assistant under Virginia's Debbie Ryan for several years in the early 1980's.
In the 2001 Elite Eight, Notre Dame beat Vanderbilt 72-64. Muffet McGraw, the Irish's coach, served as an assistant under Vanderbilt's Jim Foster for two years in the early 1980's when both were at St. Joseph's.
In the 1995 Final Four, Connecticut defeated Stanford 87-60. The Huskies limited Stanford's star guard Kate Starbird to two points in 26 minutes. Starbird shot 1-for-9 from the field, including 0-for-3 on three-pointers.
In the 2001 Final Four, Notre Dame defeated Connecticut 90-75. The Irish limited Connecticut's star guard Diana Taurasi to four points in 31 minutes. Taurasi shot 1-for-15 from the field, including 0-for-11 on 3-pointers.
In the 1995 championship game, Connecticut trailed Tennessee by six at halftime and rebounded for a 70-64 win.
In the 2001 championship game, Notre Dame trailed Purdue by six at halftime and rebounded for a 68-66 win.
Add the two teams' scores in the championship games of 1995 and 2001. During both years, the total was 134 points.
Komara and Saint Mary's shorts
Purdue guard Kelly Komara wears Saint Mary's shorts underneath game shorts — gray with blue writing
"I've been there a few times," Komara said. "Anytime I go up there I get the whole Irish fever going up there."
The reason Komara wears the shorts is that she is Belles' coach Suzanne Smith's cousin. Smith was in St. Louis this weekend.
"I'm sure she'll give me some advice," Komara said. "She's watched Notre Dame practice and play throughout the year so she's real familiar with Notre Dame. Hopefully she'll give me a few tips on how to guard them."
No excuses
Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma had no excuses after Notre Dame's 90-75 win on Friday night.
The Huskies entered the game without two All-American players. On Feb. 1, forward Svetlana Abrosimova tore ligaments in her left knee. On March 6, in the Big East tournament final against the Irish, Shea Ralph tore the ACL in her left knee.
Both players missed the rest of the season after their injuries.
"If Shea and Svet were as big a reason as you'd want to make it, we wouldn't have got here and we would have got blown out from the beginning," Auriemma said. "We had it in us to win this game."
Since Abrosimova went down, Connecticut had a 15-0 record and entered the NCAA tournament as the nation's top ranked team. Even without Ralph, the Huskies beat their first four NCAA opponents by an average of 40 points per game.
On Friday night, Connecticut led Notre Dame 49-37 at halftime and was up by 15 points early in the second half.
"All year long we struggled with putting people away, just burying them like we used to in the old days," Auriemma said. "This team has such a laid-back personality trait. Every one of them. There's not one type A personality left after you take away those two (Ralph and Abrosimova). There's not one person out there who just wants to rip your throat out. They're all like `Hey, isn't life great. We're up, shots go in, they don't go in. Life's a beach.'"
Shereka Wright and Vontez Duff
The two best athletes in the Copperas Cove (Texas) High School Class of 2000 may turn out to be two of the best collegiate athletes in Indiana in the next couple years.
Purdue freshman forward Shereka Wright has known current Notre Dame defensive back Vontez Duff since the seventh grade. When the duo left Copperas Cove, they were local legends.
As a senior, Wright led Copperas Cove to a No. 7 national ranking and was named the USA Today Player of the Year. Duff played running back in high school. He rushed for 3,401 yards and 38 touchdowns during his last two seasons.
Both players made immediate impacts in college. Wright, who started in last night's national championship game, averaged 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds this season. She was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Duff made 77 special teams appearances in 2000 and was one of three freshman to earn a monogram. He is expected to compete for a starting cornerback slot this spring.
"(Duff) was the stud in high school," Wright recalled. "Everybody was like `Vontez this and Vontez that.' But he was a great person."
Shutting down Taurasi
She had been Connecticut's go-to player since late February. She was named the Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player after a 14-point performance in the championship game. She was the Eastern Regional's Most Outstanding Player and had been dubbed as one of the nation's top guards.
But on Friday, Connecticut's Diana Taurasi had a dismal shooting night. She scored just four points in 31 minutes and shot 1-for-15 from the field, including 0-for-11 on three-pointers.
"No matter how carefree and how fearless she thinks she is, there still comes a point in time when you start to understand in your mind that you're letting the rest of the team down," Auriemma said. "We all thought we were invincible when we were her age, some more invincible than others. Nobody is."
Taurasi missed all seven of her attempts in the first half but Connecticut still led by 12 points. In the second half, she continued to shoot, a strategy that baffled Auriemma.
"The best way to get out of the slump was to pass the ball to (Connecticut center Kelly Schumacher)," Auriemma said. "It was killing them in the first half."
Although Taurasi struggled, guard Sue Bird was not placing the blame on her back court mate.
"Diana has played so well in this Tournament," Bird said. "It's not all on her. We're a team. It's not her fault. Not by any means."
All Sports Stories for Monday, April 2, 2001
