Huskies tame Tigers at Gampel

The women's basketball team defeated Clemson University 87-48 on Sunday en route to claiming the WBCA championship. Clemson's fast style of play proved no match for the more talented Huskies.

The Huskies capped off a string of three straight home game wins by pounding the ball into the low-post to Tina Charles, who was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Charles finished the game with 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

But it was Kalana Greene who stole the show on Sunday afternoon, scoring a career-high 28 points, pulling down eight boards and amassing four steals.

"You know, when Kalana gets in that mode where she's flying at the basket and she's making things happen, that's when she's at her best," said coach Geno Auriemma.

Greene seemed to think that her play on the defensive end was what really got her offensive game going, stating that her goals were to get into the passing lanes and get stops on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tigers continually tried to press the Huskies. In turn, the Huskies spread the ball all over the floor and were able to transition to easy layups. The women were able to score 61 of their 87 points in the paint. Clemson was not able to handle the size and footwork of the Huskies near the basket.

When the ball was received in the post, the Tigers either fouled or gave up an easy basket, while UConn shot 17-21 from the line and cashed in on most Clemson fouls.

Clemson Guard Lele Hardy was named to the All-Tournament Team and led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points. Hardy shot 6-14 from the field with four three-pointers.

But aside from Hardy, the Tigers offense never got going, with only one other player reaching double figures. In fact, besides their two players in double figures, no Tiger scored more than five points the entire game.

Unlike the day before, where the Huskies were able to convert 13-21 from three-point land against Richmond, on Sunday they couldn't buy a bucket from long range. They went 2-15 from distance, with Greene putting in both shots.

After the game Auriemma stressed the fact that three-point shot was not always going to be there and that it's key to have a stable base for an offense. He talked about how he likes the idea of winning championships and how tournament play can really help a team.

"Well, it's pretty simple in some ways. Some regular season games you don't know the impact that it's gonna have. You know, it's like baseball. You win a game in April and May and you look up in September and you're down one and you say 'Man, that game, we should've won," Auriemma said. "But at the time you're playing, it's just another regular-season game. But when you're playing in a tournament setup, you know if you win these two games, you win a championship. So it kind of narrows the focus and I kind of like it when it's like that."

The next game for the women comes against Vermont on Dec. 4th.