NCAA Women's Basketball ACCtion: Tuesday, March 25
North Carolina, Maryland and Duke advance to regional semifinals; Virginia falls in overtime.



March 26, 2008

McCants, Larkins Lead UNC Past Georgia, 80-66

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- North Carolina got the stiff challenge it expected from Georgia, a team with just as much tradition and expectations of adding to its history.

The second-ranked Tar Heels also showed why they are a cut above Tuesday night as Rashanda McCants scored 23 point and North Carolina beat the Bulldogs 80-66 to advance to the New Orleans Regional, and a meeting with Louisville on Saturday.

Erlana Larkins added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels (32-2), who used a 20-0 run spanning the halves to open a 13-point lead that climbed as high 16. It was North Carolina's 15th consecutive victory and first in six tries against the Bulldogs.

Tasha Humphrey, a four-time all-Southeastern Conference first-teamer, led Georgia with 20 points and 10 rebounds in her last college game. Megan Darrah added 14.

Georgia (23-10) led 33-26 before allowing a 10-0 run to end the first half and another to start the second. The Bulldogs, seeded eighth, were denied their sixth consecutive trip to the regional round by their third loss in the last nine games.

North Carolina held them scoreless over the final 4 minutes of the first half, and then for almost the first 3 after halftime, a blitz that left them with a 46-33 lead.

Maryland Tops Nebraska in NCAA Second Round, 76-64

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver had 19 points apiece, Crystal Langhorne had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Maryland held off Nebraska 76-64 Tuesday night.

Maryland (32-3) will next face fourth-seeded Vanderbilt (25-8) on Saturday in the semifinals of the Spokane Regional.

This marks only the second time in its last eight tournament appearances that Maryland has advanced to the round of 16. The only other time, the Terrapins won the 2006 national championship.

Yvonne Turner scored a career-high 23 points for the Cornhuskers (21-12), who performed marvelously in an unfriendly environment.

Playing twice at home, the Terrapins downed No. 16 seed Coppin State on Sunday before facing an eighth-seeded Nebraska team coming off its first NCAA tournament win in 10 years.

The Terps showed why they were ranked in the top five throughout the season while racing to a 32-17 lead, and even after Nebraska pulled even at 45, an 8-0 Maryland run appeared to restore order.

But Nebraska never stopped coming.

Coleman was the driving force in keeping Maryland afloat, scoring 15 in the second half after going 1-for-6 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. It was 45-45 before the junior forward sank a 3-pointer with 14:36 left to put the Terrapins ahead for good. Coleman then hit a jumper, and a 3-pointer by Toliver made it 53-45.

Minutes later, however, Turner hit a 3-pointer and was fouled, and the rare 4-point play sparked a surge that got Nebraska to 65-61. Toliver answered with two straight baskets, and the Terrapins finally had enough breathing room to plan for their trip west.

Duke Ousts Arizona State, 67-59, Advances To Sweet 16

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Chante Black ensured Duke another trip to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.

Black scored a career-high 26 points and had 13 rebounds, and the third-seeded Blue Devils never trailed in a 67-59 victory over Arizona State on Tuesday night.

Black was 9-for-20 from the field and 8-for-10 at the line. She also had three blocks, two assists and two steals. Jasmine Thomas, with 11 points, was the only other Duke player to reach double figures.

The Blue Devils (25-9) will next face No. 2 seed Texas A&M on Sunday in the semifinal round of the Oklahoma City Regional. The Blue Devils have now won at least two games in 11 consecutive NCAA tournaments.

That wouldn't have been a problem if the Sun Devils could have contained Black. But the gangly center kept getting free in the low post despite the effort of several defenders, each of whom thrust both elbows into Black's back in an effort to deny her the ball.

Duke led 29-28 before a three-point play by Joy Cheek and a layup by Black sparked an 18-5 run that made it 47-34 with 11:19 to go.

But Arizona State made eight free throws in a 12-4 spurt that got the Sun Devils to 56-53. It was 59-57 before Black made two foul shots, and she added two more free throws with 29 seconds remaining to give Duke a six-point cushion.

Black had 12 points and nine rebounds in the first half, but the Blue Devils staggered into halftime with a 27-24 lead after going up by 10 with 4 minutes elapsed.

Old Dominion Edges UVa In OT In NCAA Second Round

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - The littlest player made the biggest shot for Old Dominion. Then one of the tallest made sure it would be enough to win a thrilling game.

Jazzmin Walters made a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in overtime Tuesday night, and Tiffany Green blocked an attempt at a tying 3-pointer just before the buzzer, giving the Lady Monarchs an 88-85 victory over Virginia and a trip to the Greensboro Regional.

Fifth-seeded Old Dominion (31-4) fell behind 85-81 in overtime, but closed the game on a 7-0 run. Walters started it with a free throw, Jessica Canady added a three-point play with 1:25 to go, and the 5-foot-2 Walters made a shot from her hip just before the shot-clock buzzer to send the Lady Monarchs' crowd into a frenzy.

It got even louder when the 6-2 Green met Lyndra Littles at the top of the key and blocked her shot. Littles, who scored 29 points, collected the rejection and tried again, but her second effort came up well short and the wild contest was finished.

Fourth-seeded Virginia (24-10), which trailed almost all night, forced overtime when Aisha Mohammed was fouled with 1.8 seconds to go - on the Cavaliers' sixth shot from in close on the possession - and she swished the free throw to extend the gave 5 more minutes.

Littles grabbed 14 rebounds, and Mohammed finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Sharnee Zoll scored 13 with nine assists in her final collegiate game, and Virginia's best scorer, Monica Wright, had 11 on 5-for-17 shooting before she fouled out with 5:23 left.

Littles shot 10-for-29 for Virginia and scored five points in overtime, but Virginia didn't score after her layup put them ahead by four with 2:14 to play.

The Cavaliers trailed by 11 in the second half before going on a 14-2 run. Littles had six points in the run, including the basket that gave the Cavaliers their first lead since the opening minutes at 69-68 with 4:11 remaining. It last just 9 seconds.