COLLEGE BASKETBALL / POSTSEASON TOURNAMENTS : WOMEN’S NCAA ROUNDUP : Defending Champion Texas Tech Falls to Alabama

It was just a matter of time before Texas Tech was finished. Sheryl Swoopes isn’t there anymore.

The Red Raiders could have used Swoopes, last season’s player of the year, Thursday night in a 73-68 loss to Alabama at Austin, Tex., in the semifinal game of the Midwest Regional.

Yolanda Watkins scored 17 points for the Crimson Tide, who used superior quickness to run defending national champion Texas Tech (28-5) out of the tournament.

An 18-8 burst by sixth-seeded Alabama (25-6) at the outset of the second half established control.

Alabama will play top-seeded Penn State on Saturday night in the regional finals. The Nittany Lions (28-2) were 64-60 winners over Seton Hall (27-5).

EAST REGIONAL

North Carolina didn’t have Charlotte Smith because of her ejection for fighting in a victory over Old Dominion on Sunday, but the Tar Heels (30-2) didn’t need her in a 73-69 victory over Vanderbilt (25-8) at Piscataway, N.J.

Tonya Sampson hit a go-ahead layup with 1:28 to play, and No. 4 North Carolina scored the final 11 points to earn the right to play Connecticut (30-2), a 78-64 winner over Southern Mississippi (26-5), for the region championship and Final Four berth.

Sylvia Crawley had 22 points for North Carolina and held Vanderbilt’s 6-foot-10 center, Heidi Gillingham, to 13.