Louisiana State got the rematch it wanted with Connecticut.

This time it's for a ticket to the Final Four of the Women's NCAA Tournament.

Top-seeded UConn was expected to be playing tonight for the Fresno Regional championship at the Save Mart Center. The No. 3 seed Tigers, well, no one should have counted them out.

Louisiana State is making a bid for its fourth straight Final Four. UConn has been there eight times, but not since 2004. Neither team has a senior to call its own.

When they last met in February, UConn won 72-71 at the Maravich Assembly Center. In a spectacular finish, Huskies guard Renee Montgomery nailed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining. LSU's Porsha Phillips answered at the buzzer for an apparent tie, but her toe was ruled to have touched the 3-point line.

"We're a more mature team now," Tigers point guard Erica White said. "We need to play smarter and play our game."

UConn coach Geno Auriemma isn't surprised to find the Tigers blocking the way to Cleveland.

"I fully expected LSU to be one of the teams we need to beat to go to the Final Four," he said.

Tigers acting coach Bob Starkey said his team took heart from that crushing loss that snapped LSU's 43-game home winning streak.

"We got a double-digit lead, then they got one in the second half. Our team battled to the end," he said. "I felt the comeback against a quality team was something we could draw on the rest of the year."

This regional final offers one of the best center matchups in the tournament.

LSU's 6-foot-6 Sylvia Fowles dropped 22 points on UConn with 17 rebounds. UConn's 6-4 freshman Tina Charles had 17 points and nine rebounds, the majority in the first half.

"It was a great opportunity," Charles said. "The way she plays hard and never lets up, she brings the best out of me."

Fowles has two years of maturity on Charles and 10 more NCAA games under her belt.

"She's aggressive, runs the floor well and can put the ball on the floor," Fowles said. "I have to make sure I don't get into foul trouble early."

Fowles' presence inside will force the Huskies to alter their offensive plan," Auriemma said.

"The same shot you normally get might not be there," he said. "We need to come up with something a little bit better for her."

UConn is one of the most balanced teams in the nation -- all five starters score in double figures. But LSU counters with the No. 1 defense and a deep bench.

"We have speed, quick hands and the ability to defend the dribble," Tigers guard RaShonta LeBlanc said.

And forward teammate Mel Thomas said: "We think through what we do and add it to our ability."

Starkey said it will take more than defense to take out UConn.

"We'll have to do a lot of things well -- take care of the ball, keep them off the glass, shorten their offensive spurts."

Auriemma isn't fond of playing a team a second time in the NCAA Tournament.

"If you play exactly like the regular-season game, it won't be good enough," he said. "My message to the team is they've got to improve in certain areas. The fact we beat them [in Baton Rouge], I don't like it. It's a little bit of motivation for them. But, there's something to be said for knowing you beat that team."