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<\/a> – by Adesina O. Koiki\nA Lot of Sports Talk<\/em> editor-in-chief
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ALBANY, N.Y. \u2014 It has been 13 years since the University of Connecticut played in an NCAA Tournament without having the No. 1 designation next to its name in the bracket. After Friday’s action in New York’s state capital, the Huskies will have the opportunity to take down the team that earned the distinction of having the No. 1 seed in Connecticut’s region in one of the most-anticipated match-ups of the season.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Both No. 2 Connecticut and top-seeded Louisville advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament by defeating teams from the Pac-12 in the Times Union Center on Friday to set up a rematch of the teams’ game in the Derby City on Jan. 31, a game in which the Cardinals handed UConn one of its two losses all season.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In the first game, the Huskies, who struggled in their win in the second-round in Storrs against Buffalo, had to overcome starting the fourth quarter behind before storming past UCLA 69-61. Senior forward Napheesa Collier led all scorers with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but it was junior guard Crystal Dangerfield who helped to put the Huskies in control of the game, scoring 11 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter to help launch the come-from-behind victory.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n “We had to work really, really hard for everything we got,” said Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma. “There was a tremendous amount of pressure on our guys to make plays. Every pass was contested, every cut was contested. Every shot was difficult to come by. There were a lot of opportunities in the second half because we only played four-and-a-half players so to speak. We just found a way somehow when we really needed to make some shots.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Katie Lou Samuelson, who has been slowed by a back injury that forced her to miss the entire American Athletic Conference Tournament, scored her first field goal of the game in the fourth to put an end to UConn’s game-changing fourth-quarter run.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n