Tennessee Upsets Connecticut

No one, not even Tennessee’s most ardent boosters, were even dreaming at the start of the women’s basketball season that their Volunteers were candidates to win a second straight national championship.

But look who crashed Cincinnati’s Big Dance Monday night.

None other than Pat Summitt’s third-seeded defending NCAA champions, with a shocking upset of unbeaten, No. 1-ranked Connecticut, 91-81.

Tennessee will meet Notre Dame in the national semifinals Friday.

Tennessee (28-10), in avenging a 72-57 loss to UConn (33-1) earlier this year, led all the way and had a 15-point lead in the second half.

All-American sophomore Chamique Holdsclaw led Tennessee’s charge with a 21-point performance in the Midwest final at Iowa City.

Kellie Jolly, who did not play in the first game with Connecticut this season because she was recovering from a knee injury, added 19 points for Tennessee and Pashen Thompson had 15.

Tennessee will make its third straight Final Four appearance and in fact can become the first team since USC (1983, ‘84) to win back-to-back national titles.

Nykesha Sales led Connecticut with 26 points and Kara Wolters scored 17.

Stanford 82, Georgia 47--Olympia Scott had 21 points and nine rebounds as the Cardinal (34-1) overcame an early deficit by the closing the first half with a 27-4 run en route to a victory over the Bulldogs (25-6) in the West Regional final at Missoula, Mont.

Stanford earned the right to reverse its only loss of the season in a matchup against Old Dominion in the Final Four on Friday at Cincinnati. And the Cardinal eliminated the school that knocked it out of the Final Four last year.

Notre Dame 62, George Washington 52--The Fighting Irish (31-6) took command with a 16-3 run late in the second half to win the East Regional final at Columbia, S.C.

Notre Dame, behind Katryna Gaither’s 25 points and 16 rebounds, took control offensively late in the game, while shackling the Colonials’ powerful inside duo, Tajama Abraham and Noelia Gomez. They had 15 points each, but shot only 14 of 32. George Washington finished 28-6.

Old Dominion 53, Florida 51--What are the chances of winning a regional championship by going scoreless for the last 6:35?

Not good, for sure. But that’s how Old Dominion tip-toed into the Final Four at the Mideast final at West Lafayette, Ind.

Top-seeded Old Dominion (33-1) led big early, thanks to an 0-for-10, four-turnover spell by Florida (24-9), but held on after leading, 53-39.

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1997 NCAA WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR

At Cincinnati Friday

Old Dominion (33-1) vs.

Stanford (34-1), 4 p.m.

Notre Dame (31-6) vs.

Tennessee (27-10), 6 p.m.

Sunday

Championship game

Semifinal winners

All games, ESPN