Vanderbilt, With Game on Line, Stuns No. 1 Tennessee

Although top-ranked Tennessee had history and the crowd on its side Saturday, Vanderbilt had Ashley McElhiney.

The sophomore guard made 12 of 14 free throws in the final 3:16 and finished with 27 points as No. 15 Vanderbilt upset Tennessee, 77-74, in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Memphis, Tenn.

Vanderbilt center Chantelle Anderson added 26 points as the Commodores (21-8) ended a 14-game losing streak against their rival. The loss snapped an 18-game winning streak for Tennessee (29-2), which last lost to Connecticut on Dec. 30.

Vanderbilt scored its last 16 points at the free-throw line, going 16 of 20 in the final 3:16. McElhiney, who played all 40 minutes, handled most of the load in front of a crowd of mostly Tennessee fans.

The Lady Vols have dominated this tournament since its inception, playing in 14 of 21 finals and winning 10 titles.

In the other semifinal, Kelly Miller scored 12 points as No. 6 Georgia (25-5) defeated Arkansas, 63-44. Arkansas fell to 19-12.

ATLANTIC COAST

Carisse Moody had 22 points as No. 21 North Carolina State (19-9) raced to a 74-61 victory over Maryland (17-11) in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro, N.C. The Wolfpack will play No. 25 Clemson (20-8), a 75-57 victor over North Carolina (15-14).

BIG TEN

Katie Douglas scored 18 points as No. 8 Purdue (26-5) defeated Michigan, 74-55, to advance to the tournament final at Grand Rapids, Mich. Michigan (18-11) was led by Raina Goodlow, who had 16 points. The Boilermakers will play No. 23 Iowa (19-9), which held off Illinois, 86-79. The Illini fell to 16-15.

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic 10--Jennifer Phillips had 22 points as No. 12 Xavier (26-2) advanced to the semifinals with an 86-64 victory over Massachusetts (12-17) at Philadelphia.

Big South--Liberty (18-11) earned a berth to the NCAA tournament with a 52-47 victory over Elon at Roanoke, Va.

Ohio Valley--Top-seeded Tennessee Tech (24-6) was stunned by Austin Peay, 65-63, in the championship game at Nashville, Tenn. The Lady Governors (17-13) earned their first NCAA tournament berth since 1996.

Sun Belt--Cheryl Ford scored all 13 of her points in the second half as No. 5 Louisiana Tech (26-4) scored an 86-63 victory over Western Kentucky (17-13) at Mobile, Ala.

NON-TOURNAMENT

Lauren Beckman had 16 points as No. 13 Utah (25-2, 14-0 in the Mountain West) rallied and defeated New Mexico, 64-59, at Salt Lake City. New Mexico is 17-11 and 8-6. . . . Jackie Stiles--one game after becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer--had 35 points as No. 18 Southwest Missouri State (22-5, 16-2 in the Missouri Valley) ended Drake’s 14-game winning streak with an 87-63 victory at Springfield, Mo. The Bulldogs fell to 21-5 and 16-2.

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NCAA Women Qualifiers

Schools that have gained NCAA women’s tournament automatic bids by virtue of conference tournament championships, with exception of the Ivy League and Pacific 10--the the only conferences that don’t conduct tournaments:

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School Conference Liberty Big South Pennsylvania Ivy League

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