Former UConn stars Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird combined for 37 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals as two-time defending champion Spartak Moscow Region defeated Ros Casares 79-70 to advance to the semifinals of the EuroLeague championships.

Ros Casares forced a decisive third game with a 73-71 win over Spartak in the second game of the best of three series and were within four points of pulling off a big-time upset with 1:42 remaining before Spartak scored six of the game's final seven points to advance.

Former LSU star Sylvia Fowles led Spartak with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Taurasi had 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal while Bird finished with 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

If I am reading the brackets correctly, Spartak will face fellow Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg (which features former UConn greats Asjha Jones and Svetlana Abrosimova as well as the Connecticut Sun's Sandrine Gruda) in the semifinals. That April 3 game should produce some pretty high-quality basketball. MKB Euroleasing of Sopron, Hungary and MiZo Pecs 2010 of Pecs, Hungary will square off in the other semifinal. The championship game is April 5.

BIG GAME IN CALIFORNIA
I couldn't confirm it but the word I heard was that there could be a UConn staff member in the stands when Mater Dei of Santa Ana hosts Laguna Hills in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section's quarterfinals tonight at 10:30 p.m. Why has think game caught UConn's attention? Well, Matei Dei is led by dyamic sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who took an unofficial visit to UConn in January, while Lauren Engeln, who leads Laguna Hills in points, rebounds and steals, was at UConn last weekend.