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 Three Connecticut forwards each scored at least 23 points, and the
top-seeded Huskies charged into the Final Four of the Women's NCAA
Tournament with a 91-70 win over seventh-seeded Dayton on Monday in
Albany, N.Y.
The Huskies (36-1) will play Maryland in a national semifinal Sunday
in Tampa, Fla.
Dayton (28-7) put a slight scare in Connecticut by taking a 44-43
lead into the locker room at halftime.
Forward Breanna Stewart's jumper in the first minute of the second
half put the Huskies on top for good. Connecticut forward Morgan
Tuck followed with two layups, and Huskies forward Kaleena
Mosqueda-Lewis completed a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer.
Flyers guard Jenna Burdette responded with a three-point play,
pulling Dayton within 52-47, but the Huskies reeled off the next six
points and weren't threatened again.
Mosqueda-Lewis paced the Huskies with 27 points. Stewart added 23
points and 16 rebounds, and Tuck had 23 points and eight boards.
Huskies guard Moriah Jefferson finished with 10 points and a
game-high six assists.
Five players scored in double figures for the Flyers, with forward
Ally Malott contributing a team-high 14 points. Guard Andrea Hoover
scored 13, center Saicha Grant-Allen had 12, guard Kelley Austria
had 11, and Burdette totaled 10.
Maryland 58, Tennessee 48
Maryland is headed to the Final Four for the second straight year,
and for the second straight year, the Terrapins eliminated the Lady
Vols in a regional final to get there.
Guard Lexie Brown scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half and
hit three 3-pointers after halftime to help top-seeded Maryland win
the regional final in Spokane, Wash.
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Maryland trailed by five points early in the second half and did not
take the lead for good until Brown hit a 3-point shot with 4:32 left
that gave the Terrapins a 47-46 advantage. Maryland limited
second-seeded Tennessee to one field goal in the final five minutes.
Center Brionna Jones had 14 points and nine rebounds for the
Terrapins (34-2), who won their 28th straight game and will make
their fifth Final Four appearance, including three under coach
Brenda Frese.
Guard Ariel Massengale led Tennessee (30-6) with 16 points, but the
Lady Vols missed a chance to get to the Final Four for the first
time since 2008.
Tennessee was in position to win despite shooting just 32.4 percent
from the field, which including 4-of-22 shooting from 3-point range.
The Lady Vols made one more field goal than Maryland, but the
Terrapins made 11 of 13 free throws while Tennessee did not make a
single foul shot, missing its one and only free-throw attempt.
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