ATLANTA -- Kara Lawson and Gwen Jackson ended their Tennessee careers by joining a distinguished -- but ringless -- group of Lady Vols.

	After only three points in the first half, Kara Lawson turned it around in the second half.

Lawson and Jackson, who played in three Final Fours and two national championship games, became part of the fifth senior class since 1982 to leave Tennessee without a NCAA title.

Their final chance came Tuesday night against Connecticut, which never trailed in winning 73-68.

"Both Gwen and I came to Tennessee to win one, and that's hard, but you know we came a long way this year,'' Lawson said. "I don't think a lot of people expected us to be in the national championship after losing some of the games that we did.''

Some players who didn't win a championship were still beloved by the program and fans, just as Lawson and Jackson have.

WNBA star Nikki McCray, point guard Tiffany Woosley and center Vonda Ward played four years between Tennessee's national titles in 1991 and 1996 and made it to just one Final Four.

Michelle Snow, known for her three dunks, graduated after last season without a ring. She was a freshman the year after Tennessee's 1998 three-peat title.

Then there are other Lady Vols who couldn't beat Connecticut in a title game, but still managed to win one another year.

Michelle Marciniak was on the 1995 team that lost to the Huskies in the national championship, but she won one as a senior on the 1996 team. Tamika Catchings, Semeka Randall and Kristen "Ace'' Clement lost to UConn in 2000 -- Jackson's and Lawson's freshman year -- but were on the 1998 team.

Coach Pat Summitt was disappointed for Lawson and Jackson but pleased for their careers.

"I want them to know how much I appreciate them and our Tennessee program appreciates them. They have become like two of my daughters,'' Summitt said. "I hurt for them. I love Gwen and Kara. I know they are going to do great things after they leave here. They have been awesome and role models for our program.''

Lawson and Jackson didn't go down without trying in their last game.

Lawson's animated facial expressions became a fixture in her career, and so did her story: Her strict father didn't want her to attend Tennessee and felt betrayed when she picked the Lady Vols over Stanford. But he was among the Tennessee fans in the Georgia Dome for his daughter's finale.

But there were no fist pumps or chest thumps in this game.

Held to just three points in the first half, Lawson tried to rally her Tennessee teammates in the final minutes.

She scored 15 points in the second half when she took over as point guard on some possessions and drove to the basket.

"I definitely looked to push it harder than we did in the first half. I think that helped us offensively,'' she said.

With Tennessee trailing by the largest margin of the game, 67-54 with 6:11 left, Lawson drove into the lane and drew a foul from Maria Conlon. She made both free throws.

Lawson converted a three-point play on the next possession after she was fouled on a finger-roll layup. She picked up a loose ball after Connecticut missed at the other end, and drove the lane again. She missed this time, but was fouled and made both free throws to cut the lead to six.

Predictably, after Tennessee got within four in the final minute, Lawson pulled up for a 3-pointer, but it missed. The Lady Vols couldn't get any closer.

Jackson had averaged 18.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament leading up to the title game. She gained motivation and inspiration after her grandmother's death the week of the Mideast Regional. She played in the regional semifinal instead of attending the funeral.

Jackson scored 15 points and had nine rebounds against Connecticut and didn't shed a tear or look distraught in front of reporters after the game.

"I don't regret my decision not going to my grandmother's funeral. This is what I came to college to do. Not winning is a disappointment,'' she said. "I don't have any regrets about anything.''