HARTFORD, Conn. -- With their jerseys soaked in sweat and their heads collectively hung low, the No. 1 seed Penn State Lady Lions jogged off the court at the Hartford Civic Center for the final time as a team last night.

Penn State's main goal for this season, making the Final Four, was officially dashed in front of close to 15,000 rowdy fans, as the Lions lost to No. 2-seeded Connecticut 66-49 in the East Regional Final on a court that the Huskies have called home 11 times this season.

The combination of Diana Taurasi and sophomore Barbara Turner proved to be too much for the Lady Lions as the duo went off for 27 and 26 points, respectively.

Despite a 13-2 second-half run, spearheaded by All-American Kelly Mazzante, that cut the lead to as few as nine points, two big three-pointers from Taurasi and Turner put the game back out of reach and the Lions' championship hopes on the backburner for another season.

"When they're hitting threes like that, we're obviously not putting enough pressure on the ball," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said after the game.

Turner, who had only made 14 three-point shots this season, went four for five last night from behind the arc and was the obvious difference maker for Connecticut.

"After I hit the second one, and I started attacking the basket in the second half, that's when the rim started looking like the ocean," Turner said. "It felt like everything I shot was going to go in."

Both coaches, Portland and Connecticut's women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, reiterated the fact that Turner played the game of her life last night. They also said Turner is the No. 1 reason the Huskies are advancing to their fifth consecutive Final Four, an NCAA Div. I women's basketball record.

"She was the biggest problem we had," Portland said of Turner. "We had no answer for it. She had a very special night when her team needed her to have a special night."

Mazzante, who finished the night with 14 points, had some support offensively from Tanisha Wright, who scored a team high 16 on five-for-17 shooting, but their six teammates could only muster 19 points against an extremely physical Connecticut defense.

Penn State's offensive woes continued for a second-straight game as its 13 points at halftime was the lowest ever in an East Regional semifinal or final game. And for the second-straight year, the Lady Lions set a new school low for points in an NCAA tournament game.

Penn State shot a paltry 20 percent from the field in the first half and finished the game shooting 28 percent. That's extremely low considering the fact that the Lions have shot 44 percent from the floor this entire season.

The other Penn State senior, Jess Brungo, who was in tears in the locker room after the game, finished with six points and five rebounds to close out her Lady Lions career.

Arguably the greatest Lady Lion ever, Mazzante, who holds almost every Penn State scoring record and finishes her career on the brink of the 3,000-point mark, has played in her last game in the blue and white. She said it hurts her the most, knowing that the only accomplishment that she ever wanted -- an NCAA Championship -- will never come to fruition.

"I would trade in all 3,000 of them if we could be competing for a National Championship," Mazzante said.