Rousing Comeback Is Notre Dame’s Ticket

When the comeback bid finally ended, and the explosion of cheers burst forth from the Notre Dame cheering section, and little green men came bounding onto the court in joyous celebration, Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma slumped back in his chair.

The pain was evident in the Connecticut coach’s face and it was clear what it meant.

His team had run out of resources.

Somehow, the Huskies had been blowing quality teams off the floor despite losing first team All-Americans Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova to injury.

But on Friday night, before 20,551 at Savvis Center, they couldn’t survive that plus a one-for-15 shooting night from freshman Diana Taurasi.

And they couldn’t survive a Notre Dame comeback that inspired at first blush comparisons to the 1979 Cotton Bowl, when Joe Montana led the Irish back from certain defeat to a 35-34 victory over Houston.

There was no single heroine in Notre Dame’s unbelievable 90-75 victory in a national semifinal that set up a Sunday all-Indiana national championship game, Notre Dame (33-2) against Purdue (31-6), for the NCAA title.

Notre Dame broke NCAA tournament records in climbing back from a 47-31 deficit with 2:02 left in the first half and 49-37 at halftime.

Afterward, Auriemma pointed to one single shot before the halftime horn as a basket that might have sparked Notre Dame to its 53-26 second half.

The shot was a three-pointer by Notre Dame’s Alicia Ratay with three seconds left. Connecticut’s Kennitra Johnson left Ratay unguarded on the play, and Auriemma blistered her as she walked off the court.

“That three really helped them,” he said.

“I had a feeling that was a big play for them.”

And for the first time all season, Taurasi, Auriemma’s phenomenal guard from Chino, didn’t bring her shooting game. She missed all 11 of her three-point shots.

Without her rainbow threes finding their mark--her last miss didn’t draw iron--the Huskies suddenly were short of weapons. Even Sue Bird was off the mark, seven for 21. Afterward, she spoke of panic in the ranks.

“We lost our composure,” she said. “We’d miss a shot, not get the rebound, and--I can’t think of what else to call it. It was panic.”

Notre Dame’s comeback was fueled by its three-point shooting. The Irish’s eight-for-11 performance is an NCAA semifinal record. Overcoming a 16-point deficit is a Final Four record.

The Irish launched the rally with another Ratay three-pointer (she was four for five) two minutes into the second half, cutting Connecticut’s lead to 54-44. Then Notre Dame launched a 13-3 run that gave the Irish their first lead, 61-59.

When Connecticut’s Tamika Williams later scored inside, it was the Huskies’ final lead, 65-63.

In minutes, it was 77-65 as Notre Dame, and the rousing comeback gained even more momentum.

“We showed tremendous character and pride, to come back like that,” Notre Dame Muffer McGraw said. “I’m sure there was a lot of praying going on in the stands.”

Every Notre Dame starter played at least 32 minutes with Ratay having the game-high 21 points. The Irish, who had shot 37% in the first half, shot 57% in the second.

Auriemma paid tribute.

“Notre Dame deserved to win. They’re the best team we played all season, no question.”

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PURDUE 81

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI ST. 64

In the first semifinal, the Boilermakers held the Lady Bears’ Jackie Stiles to 22 points and Katie Douglas scored 25 in the triumph.

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RISING POPULARITY

The women’s Final Four will move into domed stadiums beginning next year as ticket demands increase.

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