Diana Taurasi’s clutch shooting gives the Huskies the edge down the wire.
By The Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. – Having Diana Taurasi isn’t the only thing that separates Connecticut from just about every other team.

The Huskies’ defense is downright nasty and that’s what saved them from a stunning upset on Saturday.

Connecticut needed every stop it could muster, plus some clutch shooting from Taurasi, to beat feisty UC Santa Barbara 63-55 and advance to the East Regional final against top-seeded Penn State on Monday night.

“I thought both teams were tremendous on defense,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “That was as hard as anybody has played against us and as well. And I thought we were just as good. That’s probably why we’re both here. Teams that don’t play good defense are not playing at this point.”

Second-seeded Connecticut (28-4), seeking its fourth national championship in five years, held UCSB to 32 percent shooting and frustrated Lindsay Taylor, the Gauchos’ 6-foot-8 center.

That enabled the Huskies to survive 17 turnovers and their own 39.6 percent shooting.

Taurasi led UConn with 21 points and became the school’s career leader in assists. Barbara Turner added 13 points, while Jessica Moore had 10 points and 10 rebounds and led the defensive effort against Taylor. “That was the key to the game, the fact that we were able to contain her on the inside,” Turner said. “Because that forced them to make a lot of plays on the outside.”

Penn State 55,

Notre Dame 49

HARTFORD, Conn. – Penn State relied on Kelly Mazzante’s offense throughout the season. On Saturday, the Lady Lions needed her defense, too.

Mazzante hit a floating jumper with 46 seconds left and made a key steal down the stretch to lead the top-seeded Lady Lions to a 55-49 win over Notre Dame in the East Regional semifinal.

Mazzante finished with 17 points and a team-high three steals – one to open the game, one that led to an easy basket and one that helped seal the win.

“We needed a defensive stop. We didn’t do that for 38 minutes,” Penn State coach Rene Portland said. “We did that for the last two minutes and it made the difference.”

The Lady Lions (28-5) and Mazzante struggled offensively against Notre Dame’s stubborn zone but made the big shots and big plays when they needed it most.

Jessica Brungo led Penn State with 20 points in a game in which neither team led by more than six points.

LSU 71, Texas 55

SEATTLE -The way Seimone Augustus was shooting, the LSU mascot could have been on the bench to coach the Lady Tigers.

Augustus scored 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting, and Tameka Johnson added 12 points and 13 assists, leading fourth-seeded LSU to a 71-55 win over top-seeded Texas on Saturday night in the West regional semifinals.

The Lady Tigers (25-7) advanced to meet the winner of the late game between Purdue and Georgia.

LSU looked great in the hands of acting coach Dana “Pokey” Chatman, who has filled in over the past two months while Basketball Hall of Fame member Sue Gunter battled acute bronchitis.

Texas (30-5) won last year’s meeting 78-60 to reach the Final Four, and it was sweet for the Lady Tigers to take the rematch in such lopsided fashion.

This wasn’t the kind of Texas two-step that Longhorns fans wanted to see. The loss came one night after Texas lost 79-71 to Xavier at the same point in the men’s tournament.