Cavaliers Love Their Home Floor
NCAA women’s tournament
Virginia is playing so well in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament that it’s not going anywhere.
The Cavaliers will be staying home next weekend, not because they lost but because they’re winning. They beat George Washington 62-43 in a secondround game Sunday on their home floor in Charlottesville and advanced to the East Regional semifinals - also on Virginia’s court.
Virginia, the No. 3 seed in the East, opened NCAA play with a 100-55 home-court rout of Manhattan. Two more victories would give Virginia (25-6) its fourth Final Four trip since 1990.
“If you’re Virginia and you play Friday at home and you play Sunday at home and you play next week at home, that’s a huge advantage,” George Washington coach Joe McKeown said.
East Region
Virginia 62, George Washington 43: George Washington (26-7) was done in more by Tora Suber and Virginia’s defense than the Cavaliers’ home court. Suber scored 28 points.
Wendy Palmer added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for Virginia, which held sixth-seeded George Washington scoreless for the first 6-1/2 minutes. The 43 points were a season low for the Colonials, who had averaged 74 over their last 19 games.
Mideast Regional
Iowa 72, DePaul 71: At Iowa City, Iowa, Angela Hamblin scored nine straight Hawkeyes (27-3) points down the stretch before Karen Clayton made a free throw with 1:08 left for the winning point. Iowa’s Tiffany Gooden grabbed the rebound after DePaul’s (21-10) Kim Williams missed a jump shot with 6.5 seconds remaining.
Tangela Smith led Iowa with 16 points and second-seeded Iowa got big games from Hamblin (15 points) and freshman Amy Herrig (13 points) off the bench.
Vanderbilt 96, Wisconsin 82: At Nashville, Tenn., Vanderbilt (22-7) prevented an all-Big Ten matchup in Chicago by ending Wisconsin’s season. Sheri Sam scored 28 points and the Commodores used a 15-2 run early in the second half to take control.
Sam, who scored a career-high 39 points in a first-round victory, was hot again. She scored 12 of Vandy’s first 15 points and hit her first seven shots. Katie Voigt led Wisconsin (21-8) with 20 points and Barb Franke scored 19.
Midwest Regional
Georgia 83, Oklahoma State 55: At Athens, Ga., Georgia (25-4) set the tone right from the start with its defense, blocking four shots and forcing 14 turnovers in the first half. Oklahoma State (20-10) shot at least four air balls in falling behind 38-24 at halftime and never recovered.
Kedra Holland led Georgia with 18 points, including four 3-pointers in five attempts. Stacy Coffey and Gina Shaterkina scored 14 points each to lead Oklahoma State, which shot 39 percent.
Texas Tech 82, Notre Dame 67: At Lubbock, Texas, Alicia Thompson scored 25 points as Tech (27-4) won its 30th straight game at home to advance to the round of 16 for the fifth consecutive year. The Lady Raiders led 32-24 at halftime and answered every Notre Dame (23-8) challenge in the second half.
Michi Atkins added 18 points for Tech, the 1993 national champion. Katryna Gaither led Notre Dame with 21 points.
West Regional
Alabama 88, North Carolina State 68: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Shalonda Enis scored 21 points and four teammates reached double figures as Alabama (24-7) recorded its second lopsided victory of the tournament. The Crimson Tide closed the first half with a 27-6 run to erase a 21-18 North Carolina State (20-10) lead and it was never close again.
Nicole Mitchell led North Carolina State with 18 points. Dominique Canty added 15 for Alabama, which beat Appalachian State 95-66 in the first round.
Penn State 86, Kent 59: Penn State (26-6) got 22 points from Katina Mack and solved a zone that had helped Kent upset Texas A&M in the first round.
Mack converted a three-point play and Tiffany Longworth hit a 3-pointer during a 12-0 run that gave Penn State a 57-38 lead. Kent (24-7) was never closer than 17 after that. Carrie Templin led Kent with 22 points.
“It was a rough game,” said Mack. “Kent State, they’re small, but they’re tough. When they fouled me, they made me feel it.”
In their past eight tournament appearances, the Lady Lions have been eliminated in the second round six times. Last year, Penn State, seeded No. 2 in the West, became the highest seed to fail to advance to the final 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.
Auburn 68, Colorado 61 (OT): At Boulder, Colo., Monique Morehouse and Samantha Williams combined for Auburn’s first nine points in overtime, leading the Tigers (22-8) past cold-shooting Colorado (26-9).
Morehouse finished with 20 points, Tara Williams 15 and Samantha Williams 14 for the 19th-ranked Tigers, who shot 45 percent, compared to Colorado’s 29 percent.