Rutgers knocks out top-seeded Duke

Duke’s free-throw failure in the final second sent Rutgers to the regional final.

Epiphanny Prince went coast-to-coast for the go-ahead layup with 20 seconds left and Duke star Lindsey Harding missed two free throws with 0.1 of a second left, preserving fourth-seeded Rutgers’ 53-52 upset of the top-seeded Blue Devils on Saturday in the semifinals of the Greensboro Regional.

Harding could have given Duke (32-2) the win -- or at least forced overtime -- when she stole an inbounds pass near midcourt, drove hard to the basket and was fouled by Myia McCurdy.

Harding, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, missed both free throws hard off the back iron, and Carrem Gay’s putback as the horn sounded missed.

The fourth-seeded Scarlet Knights (25-8), who denied Duke its sixth consecutive berth in a regional final, advance to play Arizona State on Monday night for a berth in the Final Four.

Duke led, 52-48, before Matee Ajavon started the rally with a three-point basket with 48 seconds left.

The Blue Devils worked the ball around to center Alison Bales, who missed a long jump shot. Prince grabbed the rebound and went the length of the court and scored over Harding to put Rutgers ahead to stay.

Arizona State 67, Bowling Green 49 -- The victory gave the third-seeded Sun Devils (31-4) their first trip to the round of eight. After rallying from 15-point deficits in each of the first two rounds, they got 16 points from last-minute starter Danielle Orsillo and led nearly the entire game to beat the seventh-seeded Falcons (31-4).

The Sun Devils picked a good time to turn in their steadiest performance of the tournament. They shot 51%, took a 37-24 rebounding advantage and scored 16 points off turnovers.

Orsillo’s big game made sure the Sun Devils didn’t miss sidelined starter Briann January, the team’s second-leading scorer who was a game-time scratch because of a concussion suffered in the second-round win against Louisville.

FRESNO REGIONAL

Connecticut 78, North Carolina State 71 -- The top-seeded Huskies took control early in the second half before they held on to advance into Monday night’s regional final against Louisiana State.

Shayla Fields made two three-point baskets to key an 8-0 run that pulled North Carolina State within 61-58 with 7:44 to play. But the Wolfpack (25-10) couldn’t get any closer after that.

It was an emotional loss for North Carolina State Coach Kay Yow, who is battling breast cancer and isn’t sure whether she’ll coach next season. Connecticut (32-3) is a win from its eighth Final Four appearance in 13 seasons.

Louisiana State 55, Florida State 43 -- The way the third-seeded Tigers play defense, they don’t need much offense to win games.

Quianna Chaney scored eight of her 22 points during a 10-0 run to open the second half, and LSU (29-7) moved into the regional final by shutting down the 10th-seeded Seminoles (24-10).

Florida State was held to a season-low 18 points in the first half and then went nearly five minutes at the start of the second half without scoring.

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Today’s games

Schedule for today’s NCAA women’s basketball regional semifinals:

DAYTON REGIONAL

* Tennessee (30-3) vs. Marist (29-5), 9 a.m., ESPN

* Oklahoma (28-4) vs. Mississippi (23-10), 11:30 a.m., ESPN2

DALLAS REGIONAL

* Purdue (30-5) vs. Georgia (27-6), 4 p.m., ESPN2

* North Carolina (32-3) vs. George Washington (28-3), 6:30 p.m., ESPN2