The drama was at an all-time high in the most legendary rivalry game of women’s college basketball, as the UConn Huskies took on the Tennessee Volunteers on the road. Legendary UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was furious with the officiating throughout the opening 20 minutes of the game, and by halftime, the 11-time NCAA champion was seething with anger.
Despite the Huskies’ 40-36 lead heading into halftime, the team faced a considerable deficit in trips to the charity stripe. UConn was awarded just two free throws across the first and second quarters, while Tennessee had taken 12.
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When Auriemma was summoned for a TV interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, he had plenty to say live on the air. “How do I address it? How do I address it?!” he asked rhetorically. “You don’t address it! This is what you get when you come down here! The game was called one way, and then changed!” he added. “Nothing else changed. We didn’t change!”
The free-throw discrepancy leveled out as the game wore on, and the Huskies took full advantage to pull ahead. In the end, UConn emerged victorious, beating the Volunteers by 17 to improve to 19-2 on the season. But the real story of the game was the heated exchange between Auriemma and the officials, and the tension-filled moments that had fans on the edge of their seats. Will the rivalry between these two teams ever truly be settled on the court? Only time will tell.
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