Saturday night, the soul-crushing UConn run never came to fruition against Alabama's snipers. But eight was enough in the national semifinal.
The Huskies threatened to pull away in the first four minutes of the second half, building a 55-47 lead on freshman wing Stephon Castle's emphatic alley oop finish. In three minutes the Crimson Tide stomed back on an 8-1 run punctuated by senior Grant Nelson's throwdown over 7-2 sophomore center Donovan Clingan and Nelson's game-tying hook shot over the big man.
Connecticut (36-3) wiped out the tie in just more than two minutes, with Castle scoring four straight to kick off an 8-0 response. Alabama (25-12) did not get closer than six the rest of the night as the Huskies returned to the final with an 86-72 victory, led by Castle's 21.
