It's UConn vs. Tennessee -- Again

— -- ATLANTA (AP) -- Her right ankle was aching, her back was sore,her game was off.

Diana Taurasi wasn't about to let those annoyances stand in theway of another trip to the women's national championship game.

Taurasi made big baskets down the stretch and a key defensivestop at the end to give Connecticut a 71-69 victory over Texas onSunday night.

"I say it over and over again," UConn coach Geno Auriemmasaid. "We have Dee and they don't. That's probably the biggestreason we won."

Taurasi, the national player of the year, scored 26 points tobring the Huskies back from a nine-point deficit in the secondhalf. Now, they'll get a chance to play for their thirdchampionship in four years.

The title game is Tuesday night. The opponent is longtime rivalTennessee.

"There's just something about this team," Taurasi said. "Wejust don't want to go home."

It helps to have the country's best player. Taurasi's 3-pointerfrom well behind the arc gave the Huskies the lead for good, 67-66,with 2:07 remaining.

Texas still had a chance, but Taurasi knocked the ball away fromAlisha Sare as the little-used Texas player raced down the courttrying to set up a buzzer-beating shot.

Taurasi grabbed the loose ball and held up her right indexfinger as the horn sounded. Yes, the Huskies still have a chance tofinish No. 1 again.

"The biggest thing you can say about her is she's not afraid,"said coach Geno Auriemma, who picked up his 500th career victory."She wants the ball in the crucial situations."

Earlier, Tennessee beat Duke 66-56 in the other semifinal toadvance to a seemingly inevitable meeting with the Huskies.

"I know that's the game everyone's been waiting for," Auriemmasaid. "Now that it's here, let's enjoy it."

UConn (36-1) closed the semifinals with an 11-3 run to send homethe Longhorns (29-6), who were in the Final Four for the first timesince 1987.

"I was worried about just what happened," Texas coach JodyConradt said. "You know when you're playing against a great teamand a great player like Diana, you leave yourself open."

Taurasi, who had not practiced since the regional final in anattempt to heal, appeared a bit tentative and pulled off few of theflashy moves she's known for.

But she came through when her team needed her most.

With Texas leading 66-60, Taurasi zipped a great no-look passfrom outside the arc to Willnett Crockett standing alone under thebasket, sparking the game-ending run.

On UConn's next possession, Taurasi worked into the lane, madethe shot and drew a foul, leading to a three-point play that drewthe Huskies closer.

Finally, she put them ahead to stay with the long 3-pointer.

"She's the player of the year for a reason," Texas' StacyStephens said. "At the end of the game, she took over."

The Longhorns went nearly three minutes without scoring, finallybreaking the drought on Jamie Carey's 3-pointer with 28 secondsleft. That was the last basket of the game.

Crockett gave Texas a chance by missing two free throws with 8.2seconds left. Sare raced up the court and tried to set up a pass toCarey in the corner. But the ball slipped away when Taurasi steppedinto her path.

"I am glad we had the opportunity, but that is not where thegame was lost," Sare said.

UConn beat the Lady Vols 63-62 in overtime during the regularseason. The Huskies hold a 10-6 lead in the series, which includestwo victories in the title game.

Last year, UConn romped to a 79-56 victory over Tennessee in thesemifinals, then finished off a perfect 39-0 season by beatingOklahoma in the title game.

Taurasi was the only holdover starter from that team; the otherfour went in the first six choices of the WNBA draft. But Auriemmabrought in a talented group of freshmen and teamed them with theplayer of the year for another winning combination.

UConn has won five games in a row since its NCAA-record 70-gamewinning streak was snapped by Villanova in the Big East Tournament final.

"There's a championship at stake, and we let one get awayearlier," Taurasi said. "We'll be ready."

The Huskies were on the ropes when Texas pushed its lead to50-41 with 12½ minutes remaining, prompting Auriemma to call atimeout.

"I thought we were dead in the water," he said.

Taurasi rarely drove to the basket, preferring to stay on theoutside and shoot jumpers. She was shadowed by Kala Bowers and TaiDillard, who worked hard to deny the UConn star from getting theball.

Grimacing at one point after a miss, Taurasi made 10 of 22 fromthe field -- including 4-for-11 from behind the arc. An 82 percentfree-throw shooter, she went only 2-for-5 at the line.

It was barely enough.

Stephens scored 16 points to lead the Longhorns, but she misseda crucial shot in the final minute.

The Longhorns went ahead for the first time, 30-29, on Stephens'follow with two minutes left in the first half. They went to the locker room with a35-33 lead when Nina Norman hit a straightaway jumper as the buzzersounded.

Texas came in with a 17-game winning streak, the longest in thenation. But the Longhorn women suffered the same fate as the men,who were beaten by Syracuse in the national semifinals at NewOrleans a day earlier.