STORRS, Conn. – Add All-American Svetlana Abrosimova to the list of wounded stars in women's college basketball, and she won't be back.
|  | | Svetlana Abrosimova 's career at UConn is over. |
Connecticut's leading scorer will have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in her left foot. She suffered the injury Feb. 1 in a 92-88 loss to Tennessee, with whom the Huskies have shared national supremacy for several seasons.
"We all hurt for Svet because this is really unfair to her," coach Geno Auriemma said. "Who would have thought that Svetlana's
last college game would be against Tennessee?"
The injury was originally diagnosed as a sprain, and Abrosimova was expected to miss just two weeks. But an examination Monday
showed the foot will require surgery.
The 6-foot-2 senior forward is the latest high-profile player to go down in the women's game this season.
Tennessee's Tamika Catchings, last season's player of the year, had surgery Monday to repair a torn knee ligament. She hopes to
return before the Final Four.
Old Dominion lost All-American Lucienne Berthieu in the preseason with torn ACL. Without the 6-foot-2 center, the Lady Monarchs gradually slid from a preseason No. 12 ranking to out of the top 25.
No. 16 Penn State has been without captain and 3-point specialist Chrissy Falcone, out for the season with a torn ACL.
Abrosimova had 18 points against Tennessee before she was injured with 9:22 left in the game Thursday night. By winning, Tennessee moved up a spot to No. 2 in the poll, and UConn fell to No. 3.
UConn plays at Virginia Tech on Wednesday. The Huskies got a glimpse of life without Abrosimova in Sunday's win over Villanova.
Starting was freshman Diana Taurasi, considered the heir apparent to the Russian star. Taurasi, last season's high school player of the year, scored seven points and was coming off a career-high 24-point performance in the loss to Tennessee.
Before the Villanova game, Taurasi said she's learned much from Abrosimova and isn't worried about taking on more responsibility.
"She's the most mentally tough person I know," Taurasi said. "Everyone has to do a little bit more. I know I'm a freshman and all, but it's playing basketball and that's what I've been doing all my life."
Three years ago, Abrosimova was in a similar situation. She was rising freshman star when Nykesha Sales, the school's career scoring leader, ended her college play with a ruptured Achilles' tendon near the end of her senior season.
Abrosimova, who was averaging 14 points, is expected to spend six weeks in a non weight-bearing cast, followed by six weeks in a
walking boot. She is expected to be off a basketball court for five to six months, doctors say.
"She knows her coaches and her teammates will support her every step of the way as she goes through her surgery and rehabilitation
period," Auriemma said.
Abrosimova finishes her UConn career fifth in career points (1,865), seventh in rebounds (814), and third in steals (299).
She had been hoping to come back in time to play during the Feb. 23 parents-night game against St. John's. Her parents plan to
travel from St. Petersburg, Russia, and had hoped to see her play for the first time in the United States.
Oleg and Ludmila Abrosimova have saved for a year on his shipyard worker's wages -- the equivalent of $3,000 -- to come to
America. It will be their first trip out of Russia.
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