Connecticut 73, Purdue 64

DAYTON, Ohio, April 1 (UPI) -- Naismith Player of the Year Diana Taurasi had 21 points and six rebounds Tuesday night as top-seeded Connecticut advanced to its fourth straight NCAA women's Final Four with a 73-64 victory over second-seeded Purdue in the East Regional Final.

The Huskies (35-1) led by 19 points at halftime after holding the Boilermakers to just 19 percent (6-for-31) over the first 20 minutes. Connecticut shot just 36 percent from the field in the second half but hit 15-of-17 attempts from the free-throw line.

Taurasi, who also had three assists and a pair of steals, drained five free throws in the final three minutes to secure the victory for Connecticut, which plays the winner of the game between LSU and Texas.

Jessica Moore and Maria Conlon each netted 12 points for the Huskies, who scored 18 off of 12 turnovers by Purdue.

Ann Strother added 10 points and three rebounds off the bench and Barbara Turner chipped in seven points for Connecticut, which went 24-for-29 from the charity stripe.

Purdue used a 19-2 run in the second half to cut the Huskies' lead to seven points with 2:57 remaining but could get no closer than six the rest of the way.

Shereka Wright scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Boilermakers (29-6), who trailed by as many as 24.

Mary Jo Noon registered 10 points and 10 rebounds and Erika Valek contributed eight points but missed 8-of-10 field goal attempts for Purdue, which shot just 32 percent from the floor.