HARTFORD, Conn. — When Lady Vol freshman Alexis Hornbuckle walked into the postgame interview room a few minutes late yesterday, there was no place for her to sit.
So fellow freshman Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood slid over and shared half her chair with her teammate.
It seemed only fitting in the aftermath of Tennessee's 68-67 win over Connecticut (8-4) that the two freshmen who deserved to share the spotlight were also sharing a seat.
They may have started a new era in the rivalry that had been painted decidedly navy blue and white for almost four years. Hornbuckle led the Lady Vols (10-3) with 14 points, and Wiley-Gatewood added 12, including all six of UT's points in the final minute of the game.
''We had to become fearless,'' Hornbuckle said. ''We had to grow up and play like seniors basically.''
It may have been the return of one senior that made the two freshmen play more like upperclassmen. Point guard Loree Moore returned after she missed a month because of a tonsillectomy.
Moore led the Lady Vols' full-court pressure in the second half, and those three guards stayed on the floor together and made every big play Tennessee needed in the final minutes of the game.
Moore and Wiley-Gatewood made two 3-pointers each down the stretch to bring the Lady Vols back into the game.
''We knew from the beginning that they were going to sag off [the shooters],'' Moore said. ''We just took advantage of the defense, how they were playing.''
They also took advantage of having a quicker lineup. Tennessee's press took away the Huskies' ability to set up their half-court offense late in the game.
''I'm surprised they didn't (press) earlier,'' UConn Coach Geno Auriemma said. ''I don't know what took them so long, but I knew it was going to happen.''
Wiley-Gatewood is still finding her way around Tennessee's offensive and defensive sets after missing the first portion of the season with tendinitis, but she didn't show any tentativeness when the ball was in her hands in the final seconds of the game.
She calmly made a 3-point shot that brought the Lady Vols to 66-65 with 49.5 seconds left in the game. She later drove to basket, made a lay-up and was fouled with 15 seconds left.
''We just brought her along as quickly as we could,'' UT Coach Pat Summitt said. ''I knew it was just a matter of time. Now with Alexis and Sa'de on the floor, as you saw today, the three-guard lineup is one of our best lineups.''
Hornbuckle also made a key play in the game that looked inconsequential at the time. With time running down in the first half, Hornbuckle was grabbed as she crossed the half-court line.
UConn thought it had a foul to give, but it put Tennessee in the bonus. Hornbuckle made both free throws — which turned out to be the difference in the game.
Auriemma blamed himself for the miscalculation.
''I'm the head coach,'' he said.
Wearing orange: First-year UT President John Petersen was in attendance for yesterday's game, and he was dressed in orange. Petersen was UConn's executive vice president for academic affairs and provost before coming to Tennessee.
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