Mideast Roundup

Old Dominion eliminates '01 runner-up Purdue

Old Dominion's Tiffany Thompson blocks Shereka Wright's shot in OT. AP

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Hamchetou Maiga's 17 points and 17 rebounds led Old Dominion to a 74-70 overtime upset Monday night of Purdue, last year's runner-up in the NCAA tournament.

No. 2-seeded Purdue lost in the second round one day after defending national champion Notre Dame did.

Seventh-seeded Old Dominion (27-5) will play No. 3 Kansas State in the Mideast Regional semifinals on Saturday in Milwaukee.

Old Dominion blew a five-point lead with 3 minutes left in regulation but scored five of the first six points in overtime.

Sharron Francis scored 14 points, and Monique Coker and Lucienne Berthieu had 11 each for the Lady Monarchs.

Old Dominion led by 10 midway through the first half and still held a 57-52 lead with 3:02 remaining in regulation. But the Boilermakers (24-6) -- the 1999 national champions -- went on a 7-0 run to go ahead 59-57 with 1:13 left.

Francis' 3-pointer put Old Dominion up 60-59, and Kelly Komara went just 1-of-2 from the line for Purdue, sending the game to OT.

The Boilermakers went 29-for-42 from the line and shot 32 percent overall. Old Dominion shot 40 percent.

The Boilermakers ended their season on their home court for the second time in three years. They lost to Oklahoma in 2000.

Old Dominion lost in the first round a year ago. Before that, the Lady Monarchs reached the round of 16 five consecutive times, including a trip to the 1997 title game.

The Lady Monarchs beat Purdue 69-65 in overtime in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1997.

Connecticut 86, Iowa 48

STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Unbeaten Connecticut got 22 points from Sue Bird and cruised to its 35th consecutive win, an 86-48 rout of Iowa in the NCAA Mideast Regional on Monday night.

The Huskies (35-0) are headed for their 10th round of 16 and will play Penn State this weekend in their quest for a third NCAA title.

The Hawkeyes (18-11) were making their 14th appearance in the NCAA tournament, the most of any Big Ten team.

It was not just another UConn rout. It was the final game at Gampel Pavilion for senior All-Americans Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams.

The four players finish their career with a 48-home winning streak and a record of 132-9. The seniors made a curtain call after the game, high-fiving fans along the first row.

The Huskies' transition game and stifling defense overpowered the Hawkeyes in the first half and blew them away in the second.

UConn outscored Iowa 34-4 in the first 15 minutes of the second period. The Hawkeyes shot just 22 percent in the second half.

Bird had five of UConn's 13 steals. UConn finished with 11 blocks, led by Jones with four.

Jones, Cash and Williams each had nine rebounds and combined for 36 points, mostly all in the paint. UConn outscored Iowa 54-16 in the lane and finished with a 52-33 edge on the boards

The Huskies' strong post play and defense set the tone early. UConn had nine blocks and seven steals in the first half.

Diana Taurasi finished with 16 for UConn. She had seven points in an 11-0 first-half run. She capped the spurt with her 3-pointer to put the Huskies up 21-9 with 13:12 left in the half.

UConn led by as many as 15 in the first period.

Iowa pulled to within eight on Leah Magner's 3-pointer that cut UConn's lead to 38-30 with 3:16 left. The Huskies closed out the period on an 8-2 run and took a 46-32 lead at the break.

Lindsey Meder led Iowa with 14 points and Jennie Lillis added 11.

 

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