COLLEGE BASKETBALL / POSTSEASON TOURNAMENTS : WOMEN’S MIDEAST REGIONAL : High-Flying Western Kentucky Takes On Maryland Tonight

The morning after upsetting defending NCAA champion Tennessee, Western Kentucky’s team was calm, purposeful and intent on playing Maryland, its opponent tonight in the Mideast Regional final at Mackey Arena. But every once in a while, a flicker of jubilation sneaked through.

“I’m still so pumped up that, if I had to play, I’d foul out in about four minutes,” Western Kentucky Coach Paul Sanderford said. “My assistants probably would last about 40 seconds.”

Eighth-ranked Maryland, a team that was ranked No. 1 for four weeks this season but lost four of seven games in a late-season slump, is the last obstacle between 15th-ranked Western Kentucky and a trip to the women’s Final Four in Los Angeles next weekend.

“Last night was an emotional high for all of us,” Sanderford said. “It was something we’ve worked hard for all year. We certainly don’t want to waste our chance now.”

Western Kentucky guard Renee Westmoreland echoed her coach.

“Beating Tennessee was a great feeling, but it’s past,” she said. “I don’t think we’ll have any problem getting up for a game that’s one step from the Final Four.”

Maryland (25-5), the second-seeded team in the Mideast, says it has overcome the troubles that culminated in a one-point loss to Georgia Tech in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in a game in which it squandered a 17-point lead.

“That game was a situation I’m going to remember for basically as long as I live,” said Dafne Lee, a Maryland forward. “That’s a game that’s a motivating factor for us. When we get out on the court, we’re just going to refuse to lose. That’s the whole thing, right there in a nutshell.”

Western Kentucky, 25-7 and the fourth-seeded team, beat Tennessee despite serious foul trouble for inside players Paulette Monroe and Liesa Lang.

Maryland’s coach says Tennessee’s elimination changes nothing.

“We know each step gets bigger and harder,” Chris Weller said. “We have a lot of respect for the team we’re about to face.”