KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Women's basketball will have a new champion this year — finally. Connecticut's remarkable run is over.
Stanford made all the right plays down the stretch and got 21 points from freshman sensation Candice Wiggins to beat Connecticut 76-59 on Sunday night in the semifinals of the Kansas City Regional.
After winning the last three national championships and four of the last five, Connecticut won't even make it back to the Final Four, its 20-game winning streak in NCAA tournament play is history.
It was the Huskies' earliest exit from the NCAAs since they lost to Iowa State in the regional finals in 1999. Since then they had gone 30-1 in the tournament until running into a Stanford team that showed the same grit that has carried UConn to so many victories through the years.
Stanford (32-2), ranked No. 1 but only the No. 2 seed in the regional, moves on with a 23-game winning streak and is just a victory from its first Final Four trip since 1997. The Cardinal will play top-seeded Michigan State, a 76-64 winner over Vanderbilt, in the regional final Tuesday night.
They got there with a strong second half against the game's most dominant program.
The Cardinal (32-2) erased a six-point halftime deficit by starting the second half with a 6-0 run, then went ahead to stay with a 16-5 burst midway through the half.
Wiggins, Susan King Borchardt and Sebnem Kimyacioglu each made a 3-pointer during that critical stretch, Wiggins added a 15-foot jumper and T'Nae Thiel converted a three-point play, making it 54-46 with 7:18 to play.
There was still enough time for Connecticut to make one more run, but it never happened. The Huskies got it down to 58-53 on Ashley Battle's 3 with 4:42 remaining, only to have Stanford deliver the fatal blows.
First it was a 3-pointer by Borchardt, then a 3 by Wiggins, who came on strong after a terrible first half. That made it 64-53 with 3 1/2 minutes to play and the end was near for the Huskies. They couldn't come up with any miracle plays on the floor and coach Geno Auriemma couldn't conjure up any more sideline magic.
As the final seconds ticked away, the Connecticut players sat glumly on the bench and Auriemma stood with his hands on his hips, a look of resignation on his face. He started toward the Stanford bench to shake hands with coach Tara VanDerveer even before the final buzzer sounded.
MICHIGAN ST. 76, VANDERBILT 64: At Kansas City, Mo., Kristin Haynie had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the second triple-double in Michigan State history to help the top-seeded Spartans advance to the regional final against the Stanford-Connecticut winner.
Haynie, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, had just two points in a first half before helping the Spartans (31-3) pull away for their school-record 15th straight victory.
Kelli Roehrig led Michigan State with 18 points.
Carla Thomas had 22 points for Vanderbilt (24-8).
PHILADELPHIA REGIONAL
TENNESSEE 75, TEXAS TECH 59: Shyra Ely scrawled her goal on the back of her sneakers: Homeward Bound. With the way Tennessee is playing, Ely might get her wish.
Ely scored 23 points to help the top-seeded Lady Vols advance to their 20th regional final with a 75-59 victory over Texas Tech on Sunday.
Tennessee (29-4) will play Rutgers in the Philadelphia Regional on Tuesday night for a trip to the Final Four in Ely's hometown of Indianapolis.
"I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship," said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High.
The Lady Vols used a smothering defense to shut down the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders (24-8) and help coach Pat Summitt build on her NCAA record with her 881st career victory. She hopes to make it 884 by the end of the tournament.
Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points, and Nicky Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced offense for Tennessee.
LaToya Davis had 12 points for Texas Tech.
RUTGERS 64, OHIO ST. 58: Cappie Pondexter scored 24 points, and third-seeded Rutgers turned 15 Ohio State turnovers into 22 points.
Freshman Matee Ajavon added 14 points, and Chelsea Newton had 13 for the Scarlet Knights (28-6). Jessica Davenport had 22 points and 14 rebounds for second-seeded Ohio State (30-5), which beat Rutgers 52-50 in Columbus on Jan. 16.