NCAA WOMEN/STATE COLLEGE UConn starts slowly, then rolls past Coppin

Cleveland's Barbara Turner scored 23 points to lead the Huskies.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Away from home for the first time for a first-round NCAA tournament game, Connecticut got an early scare from Coppin State.
But after falling behind by four points late in the first half, the Huskies pulled away for a 77-54 victory Sunday night.
Barbara Turner had 23 points and Ann Strother added 11 for second-seeded Connecticut, which advanced to face seventh-seeded Virginia Tech on Tuesday night in the Bridgeport Regional.
The 6-foot Turner dominated on the floor, slicing through Coppin State's defense and getting fast-break baskets to help UConn open a 20-point lead by midway through the second half. Mel Thomas added a couple 3-pointers in a game-breaking run.
It wasn't as easy for the Huskies though in the first half.
Coppin State's Sherrie Tucker played smothering defense on UConn scoring leader Strother. Rashida Suber hit a couple 3-pointers and fed Talia Sutton for a transition layup before Tucker hit a 16-foot jumper to give the Eagles a 25-21 lead.
Coppin fans
A crowd filled with vocal Coppin State fans cheered wildly, hoping of an upset. One fan waived around a sign that read "David and Goliath. Nothing to lose."
But UConn got going after Strother started finding shots. She didn't get her first field-goal attempt until about 17 minutes into the game, but it was a key one -- a 3- pointer from the wing that gave UConn a 28-25 lead.
With the victory, the Huskies snapped Coppin State's 21-game winning streak, which had been the second longest in the nation.
Eagles coach Derek Brown knew he would be a big underdog coming into the game, yet he harbored hopes his team might pull off an upset. He knew first-hand what that was like, too -- Brown was an assistant on Coppin State's men's team in 1997 when the then-15th-seeded Eagles beat second-seeded South Carolina in the NCAAs.
A No. 15 seed has never beaten a No. 2 seed in the women's tournament, though a 16th seed has defeated a No. 1 seed. That happened in 1998 when Harvard shocked top-seeded Stanford.
Even the band added a charming element to the Coppin State's underdog story -- the university brought the band from Crossland High School in Temple Hills, Md. to play fight songs.
The Coppin State contingent was far louder than the Connecticut fans who sat quietly for the most part behind the Huskies' bench.
That might be because UConn was playing a first-round game outside its home state for the first time ever. Coach Geno Auriemma said he didn't mind the travel and that it might eliminate some distractions.
Maryland 95, Sacred Heart 54
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Jade Perry had 20 points and 10 rebounds and second-seeded Maryland led from the opening tip.
Laura Harper added 16 points and 13 boards for the Terps (29-4). Maryland dominated the paint, outrebounding Sacred Heart 57-26 and outscoring them in the paint 56-14.
The Terps will face seventh-seed St. John's in the second round on Tuesday.
The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for Sacred Heart (26-5).
St. John's 78, California 68
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- St. John's guard Kia Wright had 26 points, and high school buddy and current teammate Angela Clark had 14 points and seven rebounds as resurgent St. John's won its first NCAA tournament game in 18 years.
St. John's (22-7), the seventh seed in the Albuquerque Regional, pulled away from 10th-seed Cal in the second half. It helped that Cal's Devenei Hampton, one of the top post players in the Pac-10, was in foul trouble all afternoon.
Greeba Barlow added 21 points for St. John's, which will face second-seeded Maryland in the second round. Ashley Walker led the Bears (18-12) with 21 points and seven rebounds.
Freshman Alexis Gray-Lawson cut the lead to 72-66 with about a minute left, but Wright followed with two free throws and Tara Walker hit a layup off a steal to seal the game for the Red Storm.
Virginia Tech 82, Missouri 51
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Dawn Chriss had 21 points, and fellow senior Carrie Mason scored key second-half baskets as the Hokies pulled away.
Another senior, Kerri Gardin, had 17 points and 13 rebounds. Kirby Copeland, a junior, added 10 for No. 7 seed Virginia Tech (21-9).
LaToya Bond led Missouri (21-10) with 13 points but shot just 3-of-14 from the field. Carlynn Savant added nine points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, who had 21 turnovers compared to 10 for Virginia Tech.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.