Maya Moore hit shots from all over the floor in the second half of Connecticut's Final Four matchup with Notre Dame on Sunday night, but her struggles from the free-throw line and some poor execution in the second half cost the Huskies their chance at a three-peat.
Moore delivered a splendid 36-point performance, but a few missed free throws compounded a tough second half for UConn as they fell to Notre Dame 72-63 in the national semifinals in Indianapolis. The senior forward was 3-for-7 from the free-throw line, including missing four of her last five attempts.
Of course, the Huskies wouldn't have been in position to win late in the game had it not been for an 8-0 run by Moore herself that cut a 12-point Irish lead down to four with just over three minutes to play. From there, though, Notre Dame scored 11 of the game's last 16 points.
UConn led at halftime, but the Fighting Irish upped their defensive effort in the second half, outscoring UConn 46-31 after the break.
"I though they did a smart thing and drove it at us really hard for most of the second half, and forced the officials to make the call one way or the other," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma told Rebecca Lobo during the ESPN telecast. "I thought they were the much more aggressive team taking the ball to the basket and we settled for some jump shots."
Skylar Diggins and Natalie Nosovel combined to score 50 points for Notre Dame, which advances to Tuesday's national championship to take on Texas A&M.
