Charles sets bar high for rest of NCAA tournament

Prior to UConn's first-round NCAA Tournament game against Vermont, coach Geno Auriemma told center Tina Charles to think back to a game where she completely dominated the opposition. Charles thought back to the Huskies' Dec. 14 matchup against Penn State at Madison Square Garden. In that game, playing on her hometown floor, Charles scored 29 points and grabbed 18 rebounds en route to a 77-63 win.

Sunday against the No. 16 seed Catamounts, Charles turned in a performance every bit as dominating, scoring 32 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. This helped to put a less-than-spectacular NCAA Tournament run in 2008, where she averaged just 10 points and 8.4 rebounds, farther behind her.

"I just wanted to prove that I can be part of the reason why we win games," Charles said. "And with the past tournament last year, coach was talking about you didn't have a good tournament and I just want this one to be the one."

In the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Charles never scored more than 15 points in any game as she came off the bench in each of UConn's five tournament games. Sunday against the Catamounts, Charles had eclipsed that total by halftime, with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting.

If Sunday's game is any indication, Charles is well on her way to a much more dominating tournament run.

Her 32 points, the second-most Charles has scored in a Huskies uniform, were the third-most ever for a UConn player in the NCAA Tournament. Charles is behind only Kerry Bascom's 39 in 1991 and Diana Taurasi's 35 in 2003. Charles said, however, that she was less concerned with her point total at the end of the night and more focused on playing to the level she expected of herself.

"It was really important, like coach said after the game, to just set the tone and get the game rolling," Charles said. "We came out with great intensity even though we did not play for an entire week."

Charles missed just one field goal all game, a layup with three minutes and 20 seconds left in the first half, finishing 13-for-14 from the floor. Aside from that miss, the Catamounts could provide no answer as Charles outmuscled the UVM players down low all game and even hit a few jump shots. An especially impressive jumper came from the foul line with 15 minutes left in the first half that hit nothing but nylon.

Forward Maya Moore said that, when Charles plays like she did Sunday, the team is able to do much more on the floor. On Sunday, point guard Renee Montgomery appeared to be the biggest benefactor from Charles' play, scoring 19 points and hitting five 3-pointers to break out of a mini-slump that she had been mired in since the beginning of the Big East tournament.

"It just gives our team confidence and when she's finishing inside, you can look at everybody's reaction - we just, we're so happy for her," Moore said. "She has definitely taken responsibility for the paint."

Auriemma hopes that his messages to Charles will resonate more clearly now that she is a junior with more experience. He said that, during Charles' first two seasons, he didn't think she fully grasped her obligations and responsibilities to the team. This year, so far, appears to be a different story.

"You're doing it for yourself and you're doing it for your teammates," Auriemma said. "And if one of your goals isn't to dominate every single game you play in, you'll have a pretty hard time playing Division I basketball at the highest level."

Charles isn't going to shy away from the challenges that Auriemma continues to present her with. She doesn't appear satisfied to sit back and be content with just one performance like Sunday's.

"I don't think he gives me a break because he knows my potential," Charles said. "I don't feel like I'm there yet, where I want to be."