BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- You dont think of Diana Taurasi as the sentimental type -- or at least thats not something she shows externally. But the greeting from the fans in Connecticut, the all-Huskies starting lineup, the crisp and familiar way they played together ... that prompted some thoughts from the warm and fuzzy side.You know, I walked out to shoot before the game, and they were going crazy, Taurasi said after scoring 14 points to lead the U.S. Olympic womens basketball team to an 83-43 exhibition victory over Canada on Friday. And it just makes you think, Its such a special place to play basketball. Because they never forget you.Now, before you non-UConn fans -- especially those who favor an Orange hue -- get your gag reflex tripped, try to pull back the lens and really see the big picture here. So much has been written about Geno Auriemmas program and its 11 NCAA titles, the success of former Huskies in the WNBA, the massive UConn presence and influence on the U.S. national team.And, again, if youre not a UConn follower, you might feel that you overdosed on all this years ago. Understandable. UConn has won the last four national championships. There were six Huskies on the 2012 Olympic team, and there are five on this years squad for the Rio de Janeiro Games. Auriemma has been the national team coach for two editions of the world championship, and will soon preside over his second Olympics.Yet if you are fan of the unique nature of the emotional bonds that sports creates between those who play/coach and those who watch, then this remains a compelling story, regardless of how often its told. Not just because its about excellence, but because it encompasses so many stars of different backgrounds and personalities who have competitive natures that are so much in alignment.It is pretty incredible, said Sue Bird, who started Friday along with fellow guard Taurasi, Breanna Stewart at center, and Maya Moore and Tina Charles at forward. Youre talking about some of the best basketball players in the world. Yes, they happen to come from the same program. A coincidence? I dont think so. But I dont think its anything to necessarily hate on.No, its not -- although some people still will do that. Its part of sports; we get it. But Tennessee grad Tamika Catchings -- like Taurasi and Bird, shes on her fourth Olympic team -- appreciated the vibe from the crowd lauding both its long-ago and recent Huskies superstars.Its awesome, Catchings said. Being here with the UConn [fans], being in Delaware with [Elena] Delle Donne on Wednesday with her crowd ... we go to college, we get four years to experience that, and then we go to our WNBA teams. And its a little bit different.But whenever we come close to where our schools are, the fans show out. And having games in these two cities -- and Madison Square Garden, I think, will be great on Sunday -- its great to have our fans here who supported us through college.Catchings said she did spy a little orange in the crowd, too, at Webster Bank Arena.Hey, we had a couple of Tennessee people in here, she said, chuckling. I said, Oh, you guys have to be brave wearing these orange shirts in here. But its all for a good cause.Indeed, its the cause that the best American womens basketball players have been devoted to for quite a long time now. During halftime of Fridays game, two members of the 1996 Olympic team -- Dawn Staley, now a U.S. assistant to Auriemma, and Lisa Leslie, who was doing television commentary -- were announced on court and received a standing ovation.The fans here were well aware of their USA Basketball history: how the 1996 team trained together on a months-long tour and then took Atlanta by storm, winning the first of what now is five consecutive gold medals.That appreciation of contributors to Olympic glory fits with the mindset that Taurasi was talking about of not forgetting. And when you think about it, thats particularly important to cultivate in womens sports, which is generally less-covered and less-celebrated.You could also say this: Huskies players -- at UConn and long after -- regularly deliver the goods. Friday, the whole U.S. team did that. Auriemma wanted a better effort than the United States had in beating the U.S. select team Monday in Los Angeles and France on Wednesday in Delaware. He got it.The UConn starting five set the tone -- Auriemma has varied the starters over the three exhibition games and probably will again Sunday -- and the Americans were in crush-mode the rest of the way. Canada never got anything going offensively.The UConn player for the Maple Leaf side, rising junior Kia Nurse, had a particularly tough night, going 0-for-3 from the field and being held scoreless. Nurse was part of the Canadian team that beat a Stewart-led U.S. squad in the Pam Am Games final last year, but there was none of that Friday.Nurse, who is coming back from surgery for a sports hernia, said that today was not a good day in regard to how she performed. But she brightened up when asked about the crowd.Connecticut is a basketball state, Nurse said. Its a great atmosphere to play in.There was another link between Fridays game and how it usually feels at Huskies games: It wasnt exactly a nail-biter. UConn fans are used to blowouts, where the action on court is appreciated, but doesnt really produce much of a rush.Thus, affection, not adrenaline, is what the crowd mostly experienced. Thats OK, though, because this entire team is worth that. And to this part of the country, especially, Fridays starting five was perfect.It really is just a different level of family, Taurasi said. Theres just so many layers. And you dont understand the layers until you leave. As Ive gotten older, Ive kept it closer to my heart every day a little bit more. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Free Shipping . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Wholesale Air Jordan 1 . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). http://www.cheapairjordan1.com/ . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Discount Air Jordan 1 . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Cheap Air Jordan 1 China . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. From collecting three high school state championships in Delaware to being the 2015 WNBA MVP, Elena Delle Donne has quite the collection of accolades. However, she is no stranger to the hard work it takes to earn those awards, and the work is not always physical.Your mind always goes before your body. So if you can push your mind to go a little bit further, your body always will go with you. Thats something that Ive learned, Delle Donne said about her training.Amidst Olympic preparations, she sat down with ESPN The Magazine for the 2016 Body Issue to share just what it takes to hoist those trophies.Thank you, geneticsThe 6-foot-5 Delle Donne said her height created some childhood woes, but she agrees it was definitely a plus in sports. She says she gets her frame from her mom and dad.Good workouts, better resultsDelle Donne had to work to be one of todays best womens basketball players. She says she usually trains 4? hours each day.Versatility[My first trainer] helped me work on my guard skills. Obviously everyone knew that I was going to be tall froom Day 1, so he wanted to make sure that I could shoot and handle the ball.dddddddddddd.Strength TrainingI got a new strength coach back in Delaware and we really worked on core stability, which strengthened my game tremendously, and worked on endurance as well where we started doing this sort of circuit training.Pairing workoutsI love to do circuit training, so up-tempo paired with some sort of cardio in between. I feel like that gets me well prepared for my on-court endeavors.Listening to her bodyAll athletes know when they cannot push themselves any further and Delle Donne says that shes no different. After being diagnosed with Lyme disease during the 2010-11 season at the University of Delaware, she takes daily supplements and pays close attention to what her body is telling her.This summer, espnW is running stories, essays and letters on body image as part of a series called Love, My Body. 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