UConn, Oklahoma roll into championship

SAN ANTONIO -- Connecticut won another Final Four showdown with its biggest rival and is now just one game from perfection.

With its usual combination of masterful offense and sticky defense -- not to mention a flawless game from player of the year Sue Bird -- Connecticut rolled past Tennessee and into the national championship game with a 79-56 victory Friday night.

Connecticut grabbed the lead early, refused to give it up and dominated one of the few teams that was given any chance of beating the Huskies. There's just one more team standing in their way: Oklahoma.

Earlier, Oklahoma beat Duke 86-71 in the other semifinal and will get its shot at Connecticut in Sunday night's title game. The Sooners played gamely against the Huskies in the regular season, keeping it close much of the way before losing 86-72 on Dec. 22.

Connecticut will try for its second national championship in three years and third overall. Yet, there's even more at stake than a title for the Huskies, who have a chance to make their claim as the best women's team ever.

Oklahoma 86, Duke 71

Oklahoma's amazing rebuilding project just keeps getting better.

Twelve years after the school nearly disbanded a program in disarray, the Sooners earned a shot at their first NCAA championship with a 86-71 win over Duke in the national semifinals Friday night at the Alamodome.

Rosalind Ross scored a career-high 26 points, hitting 4-of-8 3-pointers and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Sooners, who rushed out to an early lead and held off Duke's second half rally.

The Sooners (32-3) were just 5-22 in coach Sherri Coale's first season six years ago.

Iciss Tillis scored 19 to lead Duke (31-4), which cut an 18-point deficit to 2 in the second half but couldn't take the lead before the Sooners pulled away late with a 22-5 run.

-- From wire reports