UConn's Schumacher set defensive tone
By Melanie Jackson
ESPN.com
PHILADELPHIA -- The last time Connecticut beat Tennessee in an NCAA title game -- five years ago to the day -- the game was perhaps best defined by Jennifer Rizzotti's crossover on Michelle Marciniak, which paved the way for the Huskies' first national title.
|  | | UConn's Kelly Schumacher, left, had an NCAA title-game record nine blocks. |
But the Huskies' 71-52 victory over Tennessee in Sunday's women's national championship game might best be remembered for the block.
Make that blocks.
Kelly Schumacher, UConn's 6-foot-5 junior center, blocked a national championship-record nine shots Sunday, including six in the first 20 minutes.
While Schumacher, who averages less than 16 minutes a game, finished with six points, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said she played the "game of her life."
"Our centers might not score a lot, but I don't know if anybody had a bigger contribution," he said. "She played the game of her life in the biggest game of her life."
And none of those career-high nine blocks were bigger than a pair that came in the final 50 seconds of the first half.
At that point, Tennessee had finally cut UConn's lead to single digits, and the game was beginning to resemble the closing minutes of the first half when these two teams last met -- when the Lady Vols used a clutch run just before the break to gain momentum heading into halftime and eventually overcame a 14-point deficit.
Sunday, it appeared Tennessee again might come back to win.
Although UConn's Shea Ralph had just completed a 3-point play, giving the Huskies a 28-15 lead with 2:53 to play in the first half, things slowly began to unravel for UConn. After Tennessee's Kyra Elzy sank a short jumper, UConn committed a turnover and missed a 3-point attempt. Then, team leader Ralph picked up her third foul, followed by yet another errant shot from UConn point guard Sue Bird, who was 1-for-7 at that point.
Tennessee's gutsy freshman guard Kara Lawson then got the ball in her hands. Lawson had been the one to right Tennessee just two days earlier in the semifinals against Rutgers. Lawson's second-half drives to the hoop had gotten the Lady Vols back on track, and ultimately, into Sunday's title game.
But as Lawson drove toward the hoop again with 50 seconds to play in the first half Sunday, taking Tennessee's hopes of a comeback with her, Schumacher stepped forward, and just as Lawson released the ball, got a hand on it, sending it the other way.
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Sunday, April 2
Kelly Schumacher was the difference-maker. It only takes one of your shots to get blocked before you begin to think twice
about penetrating the key again. Tamika Catchings, who loves to take the ball inside, and Semeka Randall
were intimidated by that. And everyone who came through the paint had to alter their shots and ended up
rushing their shots as well.
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Seconds later, UConn's Swin Cash converted a 12-foot jumper. On Tennessee's ensuing possession, Schumacher swatted away Semeka Randall's attempt.
Instead of heading into the locker room with a single-digit lead, the Huskies were up by 12 at the half, 32-19.
At the start of the second half, it was more of the same. Schumacher added two more blocks in the first 30 seconds as UConn ran off an 8-0 lead en route to the rout.
"We definitely thought that the momentum was coming back our way at the end of the first," said Tennessee center Michelle Snow, who set a national semifinal record Friday with seven blocks. "But then she (Schumacher) stepped up. She did an incredible job."
Lawson agreed, but also said Tennessee didn't make the necessary adjustments.
"Schumacher did such a good job of coming up with big plays for them," Lawson said. "Every time we went in there, she deflected the shot. I don't think we handled it that well. We should have pulled up for some more jumpers."
Said Schumacher: "I don't know what happened to me tonight. Our defense played well, and when my teammates rotate over and take off that extra pass, it allows me to block shots."
From the start of the game, Tennessee couldn't find a way around Schumacher. Within the game's first four minutes, Schumacher had two rebounds, three blocks and two points.
"She set the tone for us," Auriemma said.
Tennessee's Randall agreed.
"They (the blocks) were a huge factor, and very important in the basketball game," said the junior All-American, who struggled in a 1-for-11 shooting performance. "Most of the time I drove into the key, my shot got rejected." |
Kelly Schumacher shows off her all-around game.
Kelly Schumacher says Connecticut played great defense all year.
