University of Louisville
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Holds Off Louisville, 75-68
January 31, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Renee Montgomery scored a game-high 26 points and No. 4 Connecticut maintained its composure when things got tight down the stretch to beat Louisville 75-68 Tuesday night.
Charde Houston added 18 points for Connecticut and Barbara Turner scored 11 as the Huskies (20-2 overall, 9-0 Big East) won their eighth straight.
Missy Taylor led Louisville (13-6, 4-4) with 17 points on perfect 6-of-6 shooting and Jazz Covington added 15 points and eight rebounds, but the Cardinals couldn't contain Montgomery when it mattered most.
Louisville tied the game at 66 with 1:52 to go, but Montgomery hit a layup to put the Huskies back in front and then added six free throws in the final seconds.
But it was one of the 5-foot-7 Montgomery's five rebounds that kept the Huskies perfect in conference play. Connecticut's Ann Strother missed a free throw with 15 seconds to go and the Huskies up three, but Montgomery beat four Cardinals to the ball.
Buoyed by sharp shooting and energized by a crowd of over 8,000 - five times the normal turnout for an average home game - the Cardinals built an early 25-20 lead.
But the Huskies responded with a nearly flawless final 9 minutes. UConn closed the first half with a 24-5 run, holding the Cardinals to just one field goal while Houston went to work. She made 7-of-8 shots from the field.
UConn dominated the lane and after allowing the Cardinals to make five of their first six shots, held Louisville to just 5-of-21 shooting the rest of the half to take a 44-30 lead.
