Nothing Can Help Alabama in Defeat

No official, no timekeeper could save Alabama.

Monica Maxwell scored 15 points, leading five players in double figures for third-seeded Louisiana Tech, which ended the Crimson Tide’s controversial NCAA tournament run with a 71-57 victory in the Midwest Regional semifinals Saturday at Lubbock, Texas.

Alisa Burras added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Tech (29-3).

Second-seeded Alabama (24-10) also rallied last week in a 75-74 second-round victory over UCLA. In that game, a missed traveling call and questionable timekeeping in the final eight-tenths of a second allowed the Tide to make a game-winning shot.

Not so on Saturday.

“For whatever reason, things did not go our way today,” Alabama Coach Rick Moody said. “Frustration began to set in because we couldn’t seem to get things going.”

Purdue 70, Notre Dame 65--Tech advanced to a regional final game against fourth-seeded Purdue (23-9), which got 22 points from Stephanie White in its win over the ninth-seeded Irish (22-10).

Notre Dame led, 56-40, with 13:17 to play.

White and Cooper then combined for 14 points during a 20-5 run that sent the Boilermakers on their way.

EAST REGIONAL

North Carolina State 55, Old Dominion 54--Summer Erb and Tynesha Lewis took charge in a 12-0 late in the second half for the Wolfpack (24-6), which won at Dayton, Ohio, and sent the third top-seeded team out of the tournament, leaving only No. 1 Tennessee.

Ticha Penicheiro had 14 points for Old Dominion (29-3).

Erb finished with 17 points and Lewis had 13 for North Carolina State.

Connecticut 74, Arizona 57--North Carolina State will play Connecticut (34-2), which got 23 points from Paige Sauer in its semifinal win over the Wildcats.

Rita Williams added 15 points for the Huskies, who used a 12-2 run in the second half to put the game away.

Lisa Griffith had 21 points--16 in the first half--for the Wildcats (23-7), and Aida Barnes had 17.

MIDEAST REGIONAL

Tennessee 92, Rutgers 60--Chamique Holdsclaw scored 25 points and Tamika Catchings added 23 for the Volunteers (36-0), who won their 42nd game in a row and kept alive their bid for a third consecutive national title with a win at Nashville.

Fifth-seeded Rutgers (22-10) was behind only 38-30 at halftime, but Tennessee began the second half with a 29-10 run, after which the Volunteers got plenty of playing time for their reserves.

North Carolina 80, Illinois 74--Tracy Reid, held to three points in the first half, came back with 17 in the second for the Tar Heels (27-6), who advanced to a regional final against Tennessee by beating Illinois (20-10).

North Carolina (27-6) was behind by six points at halftime before Reid got hot enough to give the Tar Heels their 14th victory in their last 16 games.

A 19-4 run gave North Carolina a 60-46 lead, which it wouldn’t relinquish.

WEST REGIONAL

Duke 71, Florida 58--Nicole Erickson scored 20 points and the Blue Devils (24-7) held off a late charge to beat the Gators (23-9) at Oakland.

Second-seeded Duke advanced to a regional finals game against the winner of the Kansas-Arkansas game, which was played later Saturday night.

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

North Dakota 92, Emporia State 76--Led by Mandy Arndtson’s 23 points and Jenny Crouse’s nine blocked shots, North Dakota (31-1) repeated as Division II champions with a victory over Emporia (Kan.) State (33-1) at Pine Bluff, Ark.

Washington 77, Southern Maine 69--Alia Fischer scored 28 points to lead Washington (28-2) of Missouri to the Division III championship with a win over Southern Maine (28-3) at Gorham, Maine.