Perspective: Connecticut’s remarkable Final Four streak couldn’t last forever. Enter Ohio State.
, they had gone to the Final Four. For 16 straight tournaments, they had advanced to the Elite Eight. But Saturday afternoon, they faced the full-court ferocity of Ohio State in the Sweet 16 and, for once, they were overmatched.
In the first quarter, Connecticut jumped ahead 10-2, but even then, there were signs of rickety ballhandling. Ohio State just couldn’t get into its full-court pressure defense because the Buckeyes missed six of their first seven shots. Then they settled down and started executing. And perhaps the most chaotic first half in Connecticut’s vaunted tournament history ensued.
Ohio State led by as many as 13 points in the first half before stretching the lead to 18 in the fourth quarter. Freshman forward Cotie McMahon scored 18 of her 23 points in the first 20 minutes, and the Buckeyes led 36-26 at the break. It was the sixth time in NCAA tournament history that Connecticut faced a double-digit halftime deficit. The Huskies have now lost all six of those. That’s the formula, if a team can be so bold.Ohio State had more than dreams on this day.
“No matter what happened tonight, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Sénéchal said. “I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Charted: Final Four breakthroughFour out of the eight programs playing in the Elite Eight will have an opportunity to go to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
Read more »
Man robbed four Cleveland dollar stores, bank in four-day span, feds sayReginald Wimberly Jr, 23, robbed three Dollar General stores from noon to 6 p.m. on Dec. 27, according to court and police records.
Read more »
Jim Nantz's memories come to the fore as his long Final Four run endsJim Nantz's NCAA Tournament swan song dotted by memories of loved ones, changes to sport
Read more »
Texas steps up without Dylan Disu, defeats Xavier for chance at NCAA Final FourA season filled with gut checks and daunting challenges gave Texas another test. Like so many times before, Texas passed, surviving to become the highest seed...
Read more »
Houston businesses expect to win big with the NCAA Men's Final FourExperts and event organizers expect Houston businesses to win big while hosting the NCAA...
Read more »
UConn's Final Four streak ends with 73-61 loss to Ohio StateSEATTLE (AP) — UConn's record streak of reaching 14 straight Final Fours ended when third-seeded Ohio State beat the No. 2 seed Huskies 73-61 on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament .
Read more »