NCAA Women’s Tourney Day 4 Roundup
Filed under: March Madness, NCAA Tournament, Women’s Basketball
Game of the Day
Facing their biggest deficit in a game since early December, Atlantic-10 champion Xavier turned it on down the stretch to beat Vanderbilt 63-62 in the game of the day.
The Musketeers (29-3), the No.3 seed in the Sacramento region, climbed out of a 10-point hole midway through the second half to claim their first berth in the Sweet 16 since 2001.
Amber Harris, the 6-foot-5 power forward, scored Xavier’s last six points, including the game-winning basket with 12.3 seconds to go, to cap a 21-point, seven rebound night.
“Amber does have a knack for making a shot when we’ve got to have it and helping us down the stretch to get a win,” Xavier coach Kevin McGuff said. “She certainly did [Tuesday]“
The Commodores (23-11) had two chances to win on the final possession, but Lauren Lueders missed a tough jumper from the top of the key with about four seconds to go. Then, Jency Rhoads missed the follow with less than a second remaining.
Xavier’s win came over Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb, who guided the Musketeers to the Sweet 16 nine years ago with a win over Tennessee.
Upset of the Day
Another March, another early tournament departure for Ohio State.
For the sixth time in the last eight years, the Buckeyes received a No. 4 seed or better, this time a No. 2 seed. And with a win over seventh-seeded Mississippi State, Ohio State (31-5) would have played in the regional semis at Dayton.
However, Alexis Rack’s 30 points and six assists helped propel the Lady Bulldogs (21-12) past the Buckeyes 85-67, sending Ohio State home along with Texas A&M as No. 2 seeds knocked out of the tournament short of the Sweet 16.
Performance of the Day
Freshman Skylar Diggins had just one basket in Notre Dame’s first-round win over Cleveland State, and when the Irish fell behind Vermont by 10 in the first half Tuesday, Diggins got a tad anxious.
When the dust settled, Diggins poured in 31 points, six assists and seven steals in Notre Dame’s 84-66 win over Vermont to earn a berth in the Kansas City regional semifinal Sunday.
“I don’t think I was able to get into an offensive rhythm Sunday,” said Diggins. “I knew that this Vermont team was going to be really pumped up and tough to play, so I really wanted to come out strong and get us started into our game.”
“I thought Skylar Diggins was absolutely terrific [Tuesday],” said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. “She came out from the get go and decided that we were going to the Sweet 16. I thought she got herself off to a great start, her defense was outstanding.
She Said What?
“I think it was a great example of women’s basketball today. It’s tough not playing on a neutral court, which the men are doing. You saw that environment and you saw the higher seed playing at home and that’s difficult. So that’s why you see a lot of the seeds move on that are the higher seed. But it’s also good for women’s basketball that we are getting crowds. I wish it was on a neutral court and still getting a crowd that was more neutral. And I hope we can get there someday.” — Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb on having to face Xavier on the Musketeers‘ home floor.
Did You Notice
UCLA was whistled for a technical in their loss to Nebraska for having too many players on the floor.
Up Next
The regional semifinals begin Saturday in Memphis and Sacramento, with games in Dayton and Kansas City on Sunday. All four top seeds advanced, with half of the 16 remaining teams coming from two conferences, the Big 12 and the Southeastern.
The original article and other great content can be found at this URL: http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/03/24/ncaa-womens-tourney-day-4-roundup/
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