STANFORD 76, CONNECTICUT 59

Women’s basketball will have a new champion this year – finally. Connecticut’s remarkable run is over.

Stanford made all the right plays down the stretch and got 21 points from freshman sensation Candice Wiggins to beat Connecticut 76-59 last night in the semifinals of the Kansas City Regional.

After winning the last three national titles and four of the last five, Connecticut won’t even make it back to the Final Four, and its 20-game winning streak in NCAA tournament play is done.

It was the Huskies’ earliest exit from the NCAAs since they lost to Iowa State in the regional finals in 1999. Since then they had gone 30-1 in the tournament until running into a Stanford team that showed the same grit that has carried UConn to so many victories through the years.

Stanford (32-2), ranked no. 1 but only the no. 2 seed in the regional, moves on with a 23-game winning streak and is just a victory from its first Final Four trip since 1997.The Cardinal will play top-seeded Michigan State, a 76-64 winner over Vanderbilt, in the regional final tomorrow night.

They got there with a strong second half against the game’s most dominant program. The Cardinal (32-2) erased a six-point halftime deficit by starting the second half with a 6-0 run, then went ahead to stay with a 16-5 burst midway through the half.

As the final seconds ticked away, the Connecticut players sat glumly on the bench and Auriemma stood with his hands on his hips, a look of resignation on his face. He started toward the Stanford bench to shake hands with coach Tara VanDerveer even before the final buzzer sounded.

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RUTGERS 64, OHIO STATE 58

Rutgers let Ohio State All-American Jessica Davenport get her points, but shut down the rest of the Buckeyes with tenacious defense. Now the Scarlet Knights are just one win away from their first Final Four appearance in five years.

Cappie Pondexter scored 24 points, and Rutgers turned 15 Ohio State turnovers into 22 points in posting a 64-58 victory yesterday.

The third-seeded Scarlet Knights (28-6) will play top-seeded Tennessee (29-4) in the Philadelphia Regional final tomorrow night. The top-seeded Lady Vols defeated Texas Tech, 75-59, yesterday in the other Philadelphia semifinal.

Rutgers avenged a 52-50 loss at Ohio State (30-5) on January 16. In that game, Davenport scored 22 points and dominated inside with her 6-foot-5 size and reach. The sophomore had 22 points and 14 rebounds yesterday, but she struggled to get touches. Rutgers did a great job of getting to loose balls and converting them into second chance points, holding a 20-7 edge.