The Big Dance is down to the four best NCAA Div. I women’s basketball teams who have played their way through to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville April 6-8. The Final Four, set Tuesday night at the Louisville Regional finals, includes scrappy #4 seed Maryland, who came into KFC Yum! Center Tuesday night fresh off a 73-62 upset of #1 seed Tennessee on Sunday.
The 28-6 Terrapins apparently weren’t done just yet – holding off home team Louisville Cardinals 76-73 in front of a hostile record 2014 NCAA tournament crowd of just over 14-thousand Tuesday night. All-American Alyssa Thomas totaled 22 points and 13 rebounds. Behind 36-32 at the half, it was Thomas’ jumper with 13:47 left in the game that put her Terrapins up for good. Maryland advances to the Final Four for the first time since they won the national championship in 2006. Louisville missed a chance for a second consecutive Final Four. The Cardinals lost to UConn in last year’s national championship game.
Maryland will face #1 seed Notre Dame in the Final Four on Sunday after UND beat Baylor 88-69 Monday night at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in South Bend. It was announced early this week that Irish forward Natalie Achonwa will miss the Final Four after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the regional finals Monday. ND head coach Muffet McGraw released a statement saying that while Achonwa won’t play in the game, “her voice will be heard loud and clear in the locker room, on the bench and in the huddle. In one of the regular season’s thrillers, Notre Dame beat Maryland back on January 27th, 87-83 at Comcast Center.
UCONN, STANFORD DANCE ON TO FINAL FOUR
In the Final Four’s other match-up, #1 and unbeaten UConn Women Huskies try for a two-game sweep of #2 Stanford on Sunday at Bridgestone Arena. Connecticut beat Stanford 76-57 back on November 11th, 2013 at Gampel Pavilion. UConn advanced to the Final Four Monday night by beating #3 Texas A&M 69-54 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE. Head coach Geno Auriemma believes despite how it looks, the road to the Final Four for his Huskies has been hard. Take Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis as an example – the All-American missed 12 regular season games with an elbow injury that occurred during the Stanford game, and a case of mononucleosis.
On Monday, Mosqueda-Lewis continued her magnificent run through the NCAA tournament with 19 points scored in the win over the Aggies, advancing her Huskies to their seventh consecutive Final Four. She had a little help along the way, from Stephanie Dolson’s NCAA record 150th career start, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots.
Stanford advances to the Final Four one year after an uncharacteristically early exit to Georgia in 2013’s regional semifinal. This year’s appearance marks the program’s 12th Final Four following a 74-65 win over North Carolina Tuesday night at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA. From Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer to one of the tournament’s most exciting players Chiney Ogwumike to an incredible supporting cast, it’s hard to argue this team is not motivated headed to Nashville this weekend. Although Ogwumike did not have her best outing Tuesday, totaling 20 points and 10 rebounds, regional MVP Mikaela Ruef scored her career high 17 points, with Amber Orrange adding 14 – ousting UNC and heading to the floor for a post-game celebration.
TIP TIMES SET FOR FINAL FOUR ACTION
The NCAA has announced the times of the two games of Sunday’s Final Four. The first match-up, Notre Dame Fighting Irish versus the Maryland Terrapins, will tip at 6:30 PM Eastern on ESPN.
The second game, UConn Huskies and Stanford Cardinal gets under way at approximately 8:30 PM Eastern, also broadcast on ESPN.
