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NCAA Women's Tournament Recap (Iowa St-Connecticut)
Posted: Sat March 20, 1999 at 6:20 p.m. EST CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Stacy Frese and Megan Taylor drained consecutive 3-pointers late in the second half as fourth-seeded Iowa State upset Connecticut, 64-58, in the Mideast Region semifinals of the NCAA Women's Tournament. The Cyclones trailed by seven points with 11 minutes to play but closed to 54-53 on Frese's 3-pointer with 3:46 remaining. Taylor followed 22 seconds later with a 3-pointer from the left wing and Iowa State had the lead for good. After Stacy Hansmeyer connected on the second of two free throws, Frese added another 3-pointer from the right side to make it 59-55 with 2:25 left. Frese and Tracy Gahan each made two foul shots in the final 21 seconds as Iowa State held on. Frese scored 16 points while dishing out five assists and Taylor added 13 points for Iowa State (25-7), which tied the school record for victories and advanced to the regional final for the first time. The Cyclones will face third-seeded Georgia on Monday. "It's hard to put into words what this team has accomplished," said Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly. "Every game we do something special. We weren't satisfied to just give them (Connecticut) a good game and be happy making it to the `Sweet 16.'" The loss for Connecticut (29-5) was its first in seven all-time trips to the regional semifinals. The Huskies shot a season-low 30 percent (20-of-67), including 3-of-26 from beyond the arc, and committed 18 turnovers. Connecticut, which won the national championship in 1995 and lost to Tennessee in the national semifinals in 1996, has failed to reach the Final Four the last three seasons. The Huskies fell to Tennessee in the regional final in 1997 and were eliminated by North Carolina State at the same point last year. "Obviously, it's tremendously disappointing whenever the season ends," Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. "It's really hurt to describe what you fell like. You fell like you've been kicked in the gut and it really hurts." Iowa State advanced despite shooting just 36 percent (21-of-59), committing 19 turnovers and being outrebounded, 48-44. In the second half, the Cyclones shot 41 percent (13-of-32) and made five 3-pointers. "It means a lot for our program considering where we were four of five years ago," Taylor said. "We went from one of the worst programs in the country to the `Elite Eight.' It's amazing how much we've turned it around." Iowa State, which went 8-19 in 1993-94 and 1994-95, beat a team ranked in the top four for the first time. The Huskies are ranked fourth nationally in both major polls. The highest-ranked foe the Cyclones previously had beaten was Texas Tech, 82-73, on January 20, 1998.© 2000 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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