By Steve Wilstein
The Associated Press

Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi drives against Tennessee's Tasha Butts. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

Tennessee guard Tasha Butts (3), Courtney McDaniel (34) and other Lady Vols watch the final moments of their 73-68 loss. | ZOOM |

ATLANTA - She danced with the music before the game and set a rhythm of her own the rest of the night. Diana Taurasi brought more than her shots, her moves, her leadership to Connecticut's second straight NCAA women's championship Tuesday night.

She played with a kind of rapture that only a few of the greats possess.

Think of Magic Johnson or Larry Bird or Michael Jordan in the men's game. Think of Cheryl Miller or Sheryl Swoopes in the women's game.

Taurasi is in that class, her intensity transcending her talent, her energy infectious with her teammates and the crowd.

She grew up idolizing Johnson and came to emulate him, coming up big in the biggest of games. Her 28 points in Connecticut's 73-68 victory over Tennessee, second in the title game only to Swoopes' 47 in 1993, was as impressive as much for the way she contained herself and shared the ball as it was for the way she broke down the Lady Vols.

Taurasi didn't demand the ball or force her shots. Slipping fluidly between guard to forward, working her way around picks, she created her openings and took her opportunities. She is 6 feet tall and her territory is defined not by her position but by her unique sense of the court.

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma jokes that Taurasi does so much without speed or jumping ability. In truth, she doesn't have the look of a great athlete. There are no sculpted muscles in her arms or legs. With her dark eyes, her hair pulled back in a tight bun, her Roman nose, she seems at first glance as if she would blend in with the crowd rather than lead everyone on the court.

"She's the most amazing leader you could ask for," said teammate Ann Strother, who scored 17 points.

Auriemma has coached some of the best women players in history in winning four national titles and even he can't say enough about Taurasi.

"I've never been around anyone who is just immune to the pressures of the moment and just lives in the moment and has such joy and passion for the game and shows it on every possession," he said.

Taurasi didn't score until nearly nine minutes had passed in the first half. That didn't mean she was simply biding her time. She had already grabbed a few rebounds, set up some teammates for baskets, and taken in Tennessee's strengths and weaknesses.

Like Magic before her, she has a way of imposing herself with surprising stealth.

Then, suddenly, Taurasi started clicking. A 3-pointer from the side. A short jumper. Another 3-pointer as the shot clock ran down. She had 11 points at the half almost effortlessly.

Everyone, especially Tennessee, knew that Taurasi would break loose for a bunch sooner or later. That spurt came early in the second half when she scored nine straight and put Connecticut ahead 65-52. As much as Tennessee made a game of it after that, the lead that Taurasi had built up was too much to overcome.

The great players are like that - waiting for the moment and pouncing. And then refusing to yield.

Auriemma spoke of how Taurasi, a junior, took over this team of "babies" and became their leader by reaching a level of maturity of her own. She became the player of the year and the player of the Final Four tournament. She was the key in Connecticut's run to 70 straight victories before they lost their only game in the Big East tournament, and she was the reason the Huskies finished 37-1.

"She does it in front of thousands and thousands of people and carrying the weight on her shoulder with a lot of young kids looking up to her," he said. "I couldn't be prouder of her."

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt tried stopping Taurasi with a zone, or switching different players on her, man-to-man. Nothing worked.

"The key to anyone guarding Diana is you have to bring a big attitude, limit your work," Summitt said. "You are stuck at her mercy."

It is Taurasi's will that distinguishes her more than her shooting touch or ballhandling or movement on the court. That was never more evident than in the final seconds when she made what Auriemma called the play of the game. It wasn't so spectacular. It was just needed at that moment.

With 36 seconds left, Taurasi hit the front of the rim on an open field goal attempt from the free throw line. Tennessee had cut the lead to 70-66 at that point, and if the Vols had gotten the ball and scored, only a basket would separate the two teams.

Instead, Taurasi charged in to grab her own rebound and pass it out.

"That was a huge play by Dee," Auriemma said.

In the end, when Connecticut ran out the clock, the ball was appropriately in Taurasi's hands. She hurled it 50 feet into the crowd, so overwhelming in support of Tennessee, and pinched the front of her jersey with both hands to hold up the name Connecticut to the fans and the cameras.

It was a show of pride more than cockiness.

"As a little kid you grow up watching the championship game on TV," she said. "To be in it and play well and come out with a win just feels really good. ... We can build on what we did this year. Hopefully, we will continue to get better."

That's a scary thought for the rest of women's basketball.

---

Steve Wilstein is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at swilstein@ap.org