March 29, 2003
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By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A gift from a longtime friend brought Villanova coach Harry Perretta luck, and a pair of upperclassmen provided the Wildcats with another important victory.
Senior Katie Davis hit her fifth 3-pointer with 4:18 left to give Villanova its first lead as the second-seeded Wildcats rallied to beat Colorado 53-51 in the Mideast Regional semifinal Saturday afternoon.
Perretta wore an orange tie, a present from Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. The coach said Summitt has given him four ties, and they all have brought him luck.
"I haven't lost in it yet," he said. "She was trying to make me look better on the sideline. I needed a tie that cost more than $5."
It looked like Villanova's surprising season would end as the Wildcats (28-5) trailed by 11 in the second half. But now they will play in their first regional final against either No. 1 seed Tennessee or No. 4 seed Penn State on Monday night.
Villanova has won seven straight, including a victory over Connecticut in the Big East tournament championship game on March 11 that snapped the Huskies' 70-game winning streak.
"We won another game. I don't know how we do it," Perretta said.
No. 6 seed Colorado (24-8) had plenty of opportunities to reach its fourth regional final in 11 tournaments. Tera Bjorklund scored a game-high 29 points, but she missed five straight shots in the final five minutes.
Her worst miss came when she threw up a shot under pressure that hit the bottom of the backboard with Villanova up 50-49 and a minute left. Bjorklund scored with 7.5 seconds left to pull Colorado to 52-51, but Davis hit the first of two free throws for the final margin.
Linda Lappe threw up a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer that did not reach the basket.
Colorado coach Ceal Barry, who lost four starters off a team that reached the final eight last season, looked at the bright side.
"We lost the game by two points in the Sweet 16," she said.
Davis finished with 16 points for Villanova. Junior Courtney Mix scored 11 of her 15 points in the second half and had 12 rebounds, which compensated for a poor performance by Trish Juhline. The Wildcats' leading scorer had just six points on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor, well below her average of 17.9 points per game.
Villanova missed eight of its first 10 shots and hit just 6-of-24 in the first half (25 percent). The Wildcats ran out of time on the shot clock on two possessions in the half.
"I've never seen a team win with a lack of certain skills and athleticism," Perretta said of his Wildcats. "Have you ever played a pickup game when you're outclassed and still win?"
Colorado had no problems early.
Still riding a surge from upsetting No. 3 seed North Carolina 86-67 in the second round, the Buffaloes shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) and led 29-20 at halftime. Colorado was 21-0 this season when leading at the break.
But Villanova has not lost on a neutral court this season, and the Wildcats improved to 7-0 in those games thanks to Davis.
"We realized through experience if you panic, you have no chance of winning," Juhline said.
The Wildcats trailed 39-28 with 15:42 remaining when Davis started a 17-6 run with the first of her three 3-pointers. Mix had six points in the stretch, including a drive that tied the game at 45 with 5:43 left. Bjorklund scored, and Mix answered to keep it tied at 47.
"It's tough when you're on the defensive end against them. They're a strong offensive team, and they're very patient at this point," Colorado guard Kate Fagan said.
Then Davis hit her fifth 3 for a 50-47 lead with 4:18 left, and that was the edge Villanova needed.
"We couldn't have asked for anything more," Davis said. "It is very exciting."
