Then, a month ago, the imminent ending of her career brought clarity and resolve. “You either do it now or you ain’t going to get a chance,” Dixon said the other day. “So why not? You have nothing to lose.”
She is only 5 feet 4 inches, the smallest player on UConn’s roster, but on Sunday, Dixon had the biggest impact on a 68-63 victory over Georgetown in the semifinals of the Philadelphia Region. It was a wild come-from-behind win, foiling what would have been one of the biggest upsets in women’s N.C.A.A. tournament history and demonstrating the Huskies’ fierce determination to prevail.
With 9 minutes 36 seconds remaining, Georgetown led, 53-46. The Hoyas (24-11) were facing the Huskies for the third time since Feb. 26. They had no fear of their Big East opponents and had apparent mastery, with tall and lean and mobile players, 10 3-point shots, an unnerving trap defense and a vibrant zone that kept UConn flailing from the perimeter on a 24-for-62 afternoon.
Dixon, UConn’s only substitute, had entered the game nearly four minutes earlier with no immediate impact. But with 11:13 remaining, Coach Geno Auriemma made a game-altering decision.
At the urging of an assistant coach, he sent the freshman point guard Bria Hartley back onto the floor and removed the 6-5 freshman center Stefanie Dolson, who grabbed 13 rebounds but struggled to touch the ball inside Georgetown’s zone and could not contain Tia Magee, a quicker and more nimble forward.
This left UConn with Maya Moore at center and no player taller than 6 feet. Disaster might have followed. Instead, the Huskies went on a 13-0 run to take an inexorable 59-53 lead. They were propelled by Dixon, whose rescuing finish left her with 4 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 rebounds and the most important contribution of her largely uncertain but suddenly invigorated career.
“Dixon hasn’t been a big-time player, but she was their spark,” Georgetown Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said.
With her speed and energy, Dixon solved Georgetown’s trap, allowed UConn to use a rare and extended 2-3 zone defense, and removed ball-handling pressure from the inexperienced and nervous Hartley. Freed from this responsibility, Hartley floated to the perimeter along with Moore (23 points), and once-faltering shots began to fall for the Huskies.
Dixon pilfered the ball and dropped in a layup, intercepted a pass and delivered an assist to Hartley, stole the ball again and hit a shot from the corner, fell to the floor with a rebound, grabbed another steal. Certain defeat became rousing victory.
“The way Lorin came in and played changed the tone of the game; everything changed,” Auriemma said. “Bria doesn’t have the experience right now to extend UConn offensively or defensively. I thought what Lorin did was unbelievably important.”
She arrived at UConn as a freshman with Moore. Together they have won 2 national titles and 149 games, while losing only three times. But while Moore has been a two-time national player of the year, Dixon has been a reserve, her confidence often puddling on the court like sweat.
“The No. 1 thing a player needs to be successful, especially at Connecticut, is an over-the-top level of confidence, because every day you’re going to be tested whether you’re any good,” Auriemma said.
Dixon seemed tortured by insecurity. Can I play? Can’t I?
“I feel like I kind of held myself back for a while,” Dixon said. “My confidence was a big problem for years. Believing that I can step on the court and do anything, that was a problem. If I had overcome that, I feel I would have accomplished more. But I’m not disappointed in the way I’m going out.”
Once, she tended to pout and mope on the court. Now there is no more room for doubting. Her career will end Tuesday at the earliest, in eight days at the latest. It is time not to worry whether she is good enough, but just to play as if she is.
The change in the last month has been complete and urgent, Auriemma said.
“For whatever reason, I don’t know what the answer is, this last month of her career has been the best I’ve ever seen Lorin Dixon at practice every day, just her whole mind-set, the way she’s carrying herself, what she expects from herself,” he said. “The consistency she has every day, that didn’t exist for three and a half years.”
That it exists now is extremely timely, given that Dixon is UConn’s only reliable player off of a thin bench.
“It may be the difference going forward,” Auriemma said.
On Sunday, by having to rally for a win instead of coasting to victory, UConn learned something about itself, Auriemma said. For Dixon, this journey of self-discovery has been especially long and personal.
“If I can help my team, I’m glad I can do it now,” she said, “when it’s needed most.”
