Best of the best

Taurasi, Beard lead finalists for Women's Wooden award

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi, who is two wins from a third straight national championship, and Duke guard-forward Alana Beard were among five finalists announced Wednesday for the first Women's Wooden Award.

Taurasi has led the Huskies to a record fifth straight Final Four appearance while Beard became the first player in NCAA history -- man or woman -- to accumulate more than 2,500 points and 400 steals.

The other finalists for the player of the year honor were Penn State guard Kelly Mazzante, Stanford forward Nicole Powell and Purdue forward Shereka Wright.

Powell is the only player in Pac-10 Conference history with more than one triple-double, totaling eight.

All five finalists are seniors, but Taurasi is the only one whose team reached the Final Four. The Huskies will face Minnesota in the national semifinals on Sunday after the Golden Gophers upset top seed Duke in the Mideast Regional final.

The winner will be announced April 10.

© 2004 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP