UConn's Caroline Doty looks to go out with a bang in title game

NEW ORLEANS - Although she was forced to the bench for long stretches twice with knee injuries during her collegiate career, former Germantown Academy star Caroline Doty will get a chance to finish with a third NCAA women's basketball title on Tuesday night.

"I'm glad the national championship is my last career game," said Doty, whose Connecticut team will take on Big East rival Louisville (28-8) at the New Orleans Arena. "I hope to go out with a bang."

Doty, a point guard and deadly three-point shooter, was one of the top prospects in the country when she began her UConn career in 2008. But on Jan. 27, 2009, 17 games into the season, she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Doty was on the sideline as the unbeaten Huskies went on to a national title.

Doty returned the next season and was a key part of another unbeaten run, but before her junior season, she reinjured the knee.

While she rehabbed, Doty, a native of Doylestown, produced two trick-shot videos that drew attention on the Internet.

On the court, Doty is simply a winner. In her five seasons, coach Geno Auriemma's team has gone 181-11, including an 83-65 win over Big East rival Notre Dame in Sunday's semifinal. During Doty's career, the Huskies achieved a 90-game winning streak, a record for a Division I team - men's or women's.

If UConn (34-4) wins Tuesday night, Auriemma, a Hall of Fame coach who grew up in Norristown, will tie former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt with eight titles.

"We come in every single year with the mind-set and the goal to win a national championship," Doty said.