Time: 03-25-2012 22:03 User: rtaylor2 PubDate: 03-26-2012 Zone: KY Edition: 1 Page Name: C6 Color: CyanMagentaYellowBlack

C6 | MONDAY,MARCH 26, 2012 | THE COURIER-JOURNAL SPORTS | courier-journal.com/sports KY NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT Maryland ends A&M’sreign

Faces Notre Dame for regional title

Associated Press

At times, Texas A&M freshman Alexia Standish played with the confidence of aveteran even though it was only her third NCAA tournament game. Stan- dish and the Aggies just couldn’tquite finish off Maryland. Standish scored 19 points in the third-seeded Aggies’ 81-74 loss to the second-seeded Terrapins in the Raleigh Regional. It marked the 5-foot-8 roo- kie’sfourth double-figure scoring performance in six games. “It’shard sometimes to have afreshman stand up and do the job of others who are supposed to be doing the job, but she played her heart out,” Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said. “She learned alot. She’sgetting better and better for us.” Standish shot 8of14and hit two 3-pointers, but she missed one for atie with 1:16 left. Maryland’sBrene Maryland’sAlyssa Thomas, right, and Texas A&M’sTyra White battle for aloose ball during the second halfSunday in Raleigh, N.C. Thomas finished with Moseley then stole the ball 21 points and nine rebounds as Maryland eliminated the defending NAA women’schampions, 81-74. GARRYBROOME/AP from her on the ensuing possession, her third turn- 10 straight and 13 of 14 one,” Maryland coach son-high point total and fin- Hartley scored 20 points to NCAA WOMEN’S over of the second half. since ahome loss to Vir- said. ished with aseason-worst lead abalanced offense and TOURNEYGLANCE “As apoint guard, Ineed ginia Tech on Jan. 26. »No. 1NotreDame 79, 21 turnovers. Leading scor- help the Huskies beat the to take care of the ball,” They’re back in aregional No. 5St. Bonaventure35: er Jessica Jenkins was Nittany Lions in the semifi- AT DES MOINES Standish said. “But I’m a final for the first time since Natalie Novosel scored 16 scoreless —she entered nals. Today’sfinal freshman, I’m learning and 2009, when they were in points, and the Irish ad- averaging 14 points —and The Huskies’ stellar de- Tennessee (27-8) vs. Baylor next year and in the next Raleigh as aNo. 1seed. vanced to the regional final missed all six of her shots. fense stymied ahigh-pow- (37-0), 7p.m. few years, I’ll learn not to Maryland finished with by routing the Boonies. The best season in ered Nittany Lions offense make those mistakes a42-30 rebounding advan- Kalia Tu rner scored 14 school history —not to that averaged 87.5 points in AT FRESNO through the end of the tage, which led to an 18-5 points and Kayla McBride mention their first NCAA the first two games of the Yesterday’sgames game.” edge in second-chance added 10 for the top-seeded tournament berth —ended NCAA women’sbasketball Duke 74, St. John’s47 Stanford 76, South Carolina Laurin Mincy had 21 points. Fighting Irish (33-3). abruptly after they tournament. It’sthe sev- 60 points and acareer-high 12 The Terrapins went They shot 52.5 percent, couldn’trecover from adi- enth straight season that Today’sfinal rebounds to lead Maryland. ahead to stay on Lynetta never trailed and led by 45 sastrous start in which Connecticut advanced to Duke (27-5) vs. Stanford Alyssa Thomas added 21 Kizer’sscore inside off a before matching a22-year- they went scoreless for the regional finals. The (34-1),9p.m. points and nine rebounds feed from Moseley that old record for scoring mar- more than 10 minutes. Huskies will face the win- AT RALEIGH for the Terrapins (31-4), made it 75-74 with 3:29 left. gin at the regional stage The Irish have won all ner between Gonzaga and Sunday’sgames who trailed by18 in the first That started an 8-0 run to while cruising into the re- three games in this tourna- Kentucky on Tu esday night Maryland 81, Texas A&M 74 half and11 midway through close the game, with Thom- gional finals for the second ment by double figures. with aberth in the Final Notre Dame 79, St. Bonaven- the second. But Maryland as feeding Mincy on the straight year. This one equaled the 91-47 Four on the line. ture 35 fought its way back and break after aturnover for a Notre Dame will play beating Louisiana Tech Leading 36-27 late in the Tuesday’sfinal held the defending national transition layup. second-seeded Maryland gave Purdue in the 1990 first half, UConn (32-4) Maryland (31-4) vs. Notre champion Aggies (24-11)to Thomas followed that (31-4) on Tu esday night Midwest semifinals, and it used a17-2 run spanning Dame (33-3), 9p.m. one basket in the final 7½ with ajumper in the lane with aspot in the Final Four was another convincing halftime to blow the game AT KINGSTON minutes. with 50 seconds left after on the line. step toward the national open. Sunday’sgames “You’ve got to have that an offensive to CeCe Dixon had 13 championship that slipped Mia Nickson scored 19 Connecticut 77, Penn State 59 killer instinct,” Blair said. make it 79-74, which all but points and Doris Ortega away ayear ago. points and Kentucky 79, Gonzaga 62 “We had ateam on the sealed the win. added 11 for the fifth-seed- added 15 to lead Penn State Tuesday’sfinal ropes and didn’tput them “This team knows and ed Bonnies (31-4). Kingston Regional (26-7), which was making Connecticut (32-4) vs. Ken- away.” has the confidence it can They shot aseason-low »No. 1Connecticut 77, its first appearance in the tucky (28-6), 7p.m. The Terrapins have won come back against any- 19 percent, allowed asea- No. 4Penn State 59: Bria round of 16 since 2004.

WOMEN: Wildcats dominate to knockoff Gonzaga

Continued from Page C1 points and six assists. Freshman Bria Goss chipped in10 points. Kentucky finished 27 of 58 from the floor,including 12 of 21 3-pointers. It was the most threes the Wild- cats had made in agame sincehitting14 inawinover Mississippi State on Jan. 8. UK was 13 of 22 from the free-throw line. UK outrebounded Gon- zaga36-24andheldtheZags to 27 of 68 from the field. Gonzaga turned the ball over nine times. The game couldn’thave started any better for UK, which hit two 3-pointers in the first two minutes and three in a16-6 run to start the game. Six players scored in the first six minutes. But the Zags used an 8-2 run to get back into the game and narrowed the gap to 19-17 with 10:03 left. It was still 24-21at6:38 when Kayla Standish picked up her second foul and went to the bench for the rest of the half. Kentucky’sAmber Smith battles Gonzaga’sHaiden Palmer in the first halfofSunday UK dominated with the night’sgame. DAVID BUTLER II/US PRESSWIRE Zags’ star on the sideline. Bernisha Pinkett start- to 52-37. Gonzaga cut it to 59-51, KENTUCKY 79, GONZAGA 62 eda17-7runtoclosethehalf The Zags then had two but then Katelan Redmon GONZAGA (28-6): Standish 11-20 3-3 25, Bowen 4-11 3-3 11,Palmer 2-8 0-0 4, Karr 1-4 with two free throws, while trips down the floor —and missed the front end of a 0-0 2, K. Redmon 5-15 0-110, Walter 2-2 0-0 Mathies hit two 3-pointers three field-goal attempts — one-and-one and ashort 5, Greinacher 0-0 0-0 0, Winters 0-10-0 0, and Snowden added anoth- to cut further into the lead jumper that would have Albanez 0-0 0-0 0, Golden 0-0 0-0 0, Reader 1-21-2 3, J. Redmon 1-40-0 2. Totals 27-67 er in the surge. but missed. Mathies and narrowed it even more. 7-9 62. Mathies hit arunner Snowden then hit back-to- Snowden ended the KENTUCKY (28-6): Drake1-2 0-0 2, Mathies 6-10 0-0 15,Goss 3-9 2-4 10,Smith 1-31-3 3, down the lane from the left back threes to make it 58-37 drought with a3-pointer Evans1-62-2 5, Snowden 6-13 0-017,Pinkett side just before the buzzer and give the Wildcats their and after abucket by Walk- 1-22-2 5, Conwright1-32-2 4, Walker 6-9 4-6 sounded to end the half and largest lead. er hit another three to push 16,Bishop 1-40-3 2. Totals 27-6113-22 79. Halftime—Kentucky 43-28. 3-Point stretch the lead to 43-28. The Wildcats then had a the lead back to 67-53. Goals—Gonzaga 1-6(Walter 1-1, Karr 0-1, The teams traded buck- lull, going 7:05 with just one The Zags would get no Palmer 0-2, Bowen 0-2), Kentucky 12-21 (Snowden 5-9, Mathies 3-4, Goss 2-3, Pinkett ets early in the second half point. UK missed six shots, closer. 1-1, Evans 1-4). Fouled Out—Palmer. before athree-point play by three free throws and Rebounds—Gonzaga 34 (Bowen 9), Kentucky 44 (Walker 12). Assists—Gonzaga Standish and abucket from turned it over three times Jody Demling can be reached 12 (Karr 4), Kentucky 18 (Mathies 7). Total Kelly Bowen at 16:05 cut it during that stretch. at (502) 582-7176. Fouls—Gonzaga 19,Kentucky 14. A—6,031. CJ-0000327804