Denver - They were dead. Dead, dead, dead. Like Hoffa. Until they were alive again, rescued by Kelly Faris, among others, a few seconds away from one of the most improbable victories in program history.

All UConn needed was one stop at the end of regulation. One miss, one rebound, for one chance at the national championship.

Notre Dame, however, with a few more seniors and a little more polish, forced overtime Sunday night at the Pepsi Center and ultimately ended the Huskies' season in the national semifinals.

The Irish dealt UConn an agonizing 83-75 loss, denying Connecticut's bid for an eighth national championship.

"We put ourselves in a position to win the game," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "The last two minutes of regulation were pretty amazing. When we got to overtime, we just didn't have enough. And they made huge shots."

Notre Dame senior Brittany Mallory made consecutive 3-pointers in overtime, her only two 3-point field goals of the game.

Stefanie Dolson, despite foul trouble, led UConn with 20 points and eight rebounds.

m.dimauro@theday.com