San Antonio - It hadn't happened in a while, maybe not all season. But the UConn Huskies finally played a basketball game Sunday night in San Antone with an honest to goodness co-star.

That's right. This wasn't all about UConn for a change. The Women of Waco have the future of the game in their lineup, the 6 o'clock shaped center, the subject of a pregame "day in the life" feature on ESPN, who if nothing else offers observers a curiosity factor.

Would Brittney Griner, all 6-feet, 8-inches of her, be the linchpin to halt a 76-game winning streak?

Would she be scared shotless, playing like a freshman on the grand stage of the Final Four?

Or would she go Dikembe Mutombo and use her condor wing span to make the paint a demilitarized zone?

Would she be able to negotiate the savior faire of Tina Charles, the future No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, the Associated Press Player of the Year?

Would her teammates allow UConn players into the lane because they know the sheriff is back there waiting - and perhaps break into song from "Beauty and the Beast?"

Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!

Would Griner fulfill Baylor coach Kim Mulkey's wish from a day earlier? Mulkey mused at practice (with the Kansas City Star quoting her), "It would tickle the (expletive) out of me, it would absolutely tickle the (expletive) out of me, if in the first five minutes, they looked around and said, 'Holy (expletive), what are we going to do with her?'"

So many questions. So many possibilities. And until the game started, there was no way to really know whether Griner could disrupt what is normally an offense smoother than Miles Davis.

And then the game started with Tiffany Hayes taking the ball right at Griner on the first possession.

It was a not so subtle message, as if to say, "OK, Miss Biggie. Let's see what's under the hood."

And then the game ended with Miss Biggie having done quite well for herself (13 points, six rebounds). It's just that Charles and her teammates illustrated why they've won 77 in a row.

UConn 70, Baylor 50.

It was clear the plan was to play Charles at the foul line, at least early, to make Mulkey decide whether to bring Griner out to play her or stay in the post. A huge decision. Because Griner's ability to dunk is fine for SportsCenter. But she could truly change the game with her shot blocking.

The fans of Connecticut, who watch the sport played by the other gender, should understand the significance. How much mileage did the male Huskies get from Emeka Okafor and Hasheem Thabeet swatting everything that flew at them?

Charles (21 points, 13 rebounds) made a few Kareem-type hook shots with Griner draped on her. She missed a few, too. Charles made a textbook entry pass to Moore in the post with Griner at the foul line. She also stuck a pair of 17-footers.

Mostly, though, Griner's defense was nondescript because Maya Moore continued to stay hotter than a jalapeno. She was 9-for-14 in the first half, meaning that in a three-game span, she was 26 for 42 from the field, 62 percent, and nearly all from the perimeter.

Griner (13 points, six rebounds) took a while to get rolling, sort of like a car on a winter morning. But she made field goals from in close at 9:47, 8:24, 7:04 and 2:53, with Charles guarding her. This just in: She is going to be dominant, able to parlay her size with decent skills for a freshman. Bully for her.

Still, UConn's biggest concern as the game progressed was foul trouble. By the time the second half began, Hayes (three), Caroline Doty (two) and Kelly Faris (two) were on alert. Hayes got her fourth with 15:47 left and Baylor on a 10-0 run.

Suddenly, it was 41-38. Game on.

It was on because Griner began to disrupt the UConn offense, which momentarily went into clueless mode when Moore wasn't making threes. It was here, though, that something Kalana Greene said last week after the Florida State game became gospel.

"People think we're not used to playing in close games," she said. "But we play in close games every day in practice. Coach demands it. He's prepared us for everything."

This is where Charles played like the No. 1 pick. She began to rediscover her offense again, scoring eight points in the next six minutes. She made another Kareem hook over Griner to eventually get the lead back to 13.

Fun game, overall. Charles was terrific, mostly, against a player bigger than she, which should have made Sun coach Mike Thibault the happiest guy in the building behind Auriemma. And Griner will be heard from again.

For now, though, national title No. 7 awaits.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.