NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : It’s Alabama in Four Overtimes

For the first time, Alabama Coach Rick Moody didn’t know what to say after his team won a game.

This one was very different, however, as Alabama downed Duke, 121-120, in an NCAA-record four overtimes in an East Regional second-round women’s basketball game Saturday at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama advanced to a regional semifinal matchup against top-ranked Connecticut Thursday at Storrs, Conn.

“I’ve never been involved in a game of this magnitude,” Moody said. “I’ve never been in a game that went four overtimes.”

It was the longest game in NCAA women’s tournament history. And both teams eclipsed the old tournament scoring record set by Ohio State when it defeated Syracuse, 116-75, in a Mideast Regional second-round game in 1988.

Until Saturday’s marathon, the longest women’s NCAA tournament games had gone three overtimes--when Tennessee beat Mississippi, 90-83, in the 1983 Mideast Regional final and when Oklahoma State edged Michigan State, 96-94, in a Midwest Regional semifinal in 1991.

“I think it got down to a test of willpower,” Moody said. “The players were excellent. . . . They kept making play after play.”

Niesa Johnson made a number of those plays as she had 28 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, including a 23-foot three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into the first overtime.

“We were running a play designed for me to come off of a screen,” Johnson said. “My player started to slip, so she threw it back to me. When I shot it, I thought it went to the left. I’m just glad it went to the rim.”

Johnson also scored the eventual winning point in the fourth overtime as well as the points that kept Alabama in the game at the end of the first and third overtimes.

Yolanda Watkins led Alabama (22-8) with 33 points. Duke (22-9) was led by Alison Day with 37 and Kira Orr with 30.

“It’s a shame someone had to lose,” Day said. “I am just proud to be a part of this team. We were able to win some close games this season on some last-second shots. Unfortunately, we were on the losing end this time”

In other East Regional games:

Connecticut 91, Virginia Tech 45--Jennifer Rizzotti scored 20 points as the No. 1, undefeated and top-seeded Huskies (31-0) ripped the eighth-seeded Hokies (22-9) at Storrs, Conn.

Virginia 72, Florida 67--Freshman Monick Foote broke an NCAA tournament record with seven three-pointers to lead the Cavaliers (26-4) to victory over the Gators (24-9) at Charlottesville, Va.

Louisiana Tech 48, Oklahoma 36--Powered by 19 points from guard Vickie Johnson, the Techsters (28-4) defeated Oklahoma (22-9) at Ruston, La.

WEST REGIONAL

Stanford 95, Southern Methodist 73--Kate Starbird scored a career-high 28 points, and the second-seeded Cardinal (28-2) overpowered the Mustangs (21-10) at Stanford.

The Cardinal will play North Carolina, the defending national champion, Thursday in Los Angeles.

North Carolina 59, Seton Hall 45--Charlotte Smith scored 17 of her 21 points in the first half as defending national women’s champion Tar Heels (30-4) held off the Pirates’ charge at Chapel Hill, N.C. Seton Hall finished 24-9.

Purdue 62, Montana 51--Tonya Kirk scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half--including three of three shots from three-point range--to carry the Boilermakers (23-7) past Montana (26-7) at San Diego.

MIDWEST REGIONAL

Colorado 78, Southwest Missouri State 34--Isabelle Fijalkowski scored 23 points and Erin Scholz pulled down 19 rebounds as the Buffaloes (29-2) used their superior inside game to stampede Southwest Missouri State (21-12) at Boulder, Colo.

MIDEAST REGIONAL

Tennessee 70, Florida International 44--All-American Nikki McCray scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as the top-seeded Volunteers (31-2) crushed the cold-shooting Golden Panthers (27-5) at Knoxville, Tenn.

Washington 54, Arkansas 50--Laure Savasta scored 16 points, including six of six from the free-throw line in the final 20 seconds, as the Huskies (25-8) held off the Razorbacks (23-7) at Seattle.

Texas Tech 88, Wisconsin 65--Freshman Alicia Thompson scored 16 points off the bench as the Red Raiders (32-3) beat the Badgers (20-9) at Lubbock, Tex.