Michelle Baker had 22 points to pace the fifth-seeded Hawks (21-10).
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Lady Volunteers know many people expect little from them in this year’s NCAA tournament. They’re still planning on making a run at the national championship that has eluded them.
Led by its senior class, 13th-ranked Tennessee blew confidently through the Southeastern Conference tournament and got a 70-58 win against LSU on Sunday in the championship game.
“We want to show people we haven’t stopped working,” tournament MVP Glory Johnson said. “You should see a whole new mentality when we get out there. We have a whole new mindset. You should see it in our faces every time we step on the floor.”
Johnson is one of five seniors who are trying to change their legacy after several early exits from the NCAA tournament and a disappointing 2011-12 season by the Lady Vols’ lofty standards. Tennessee (24-8), which won the last of its eight national championships in 2008, suffered a program-worst three losses at home this season and got blown out in several road games.
Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen and the rest of the seniors pulled together during the SEC tournament, leading the team in each game en route to Tennessee’s 16th conference tournament title. Johnson had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Stricklen added 16 points and senior Vicki Baugh added 10 points against LSU.
Tennessee fans cheered “We back Pat” after the win in honor of coach Pat Summitt, who announced before the season she’d been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type. Summitt helped her team cut down the basketball net after the game and twirled it above her head to further cheering.
Adrienne Webb led LSU (22-10) with 16 points in head coach Nikki Caldwell’s first season.
No. 3 NOTRE DAME 69
DEPAUL 54
HARTFORD, Conn. — Devereaux Peters had 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks to lead No. 3 Notre Dame to a 69-54 win over DePaul in the Big East quarterfinals.
Natalie Novosel also had 16 points and Kayla McBride added 14 for the Irish (29-2) who are coming off the program’s first outright regular-season conference championship.
Katherine Harry had 10 of her 14 points in the first half for eighth-seeded DePaul (22-10).
Notre Dame will face West Virginia in today’s semifinal. The Mountaineers beat No. 12 Georgetown 39-32 earlier.
No. 6 MARYLAND 68
No. 15 GEORGIA TECH 65
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Alyssa Thomas scored a career-high 29 points and Maryland beat Georgia Tech to win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship.
Lynetta Kizer had 11 points and Kim Rodgers added 10 to help the third-seeded Terrapins (28-4) claim their 10th ACC tournament title and second in four years.
Tyaunna Marshall scored 18 of her 25 points in the second half and Sasha Goodlett added 20 points for the fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets (24-8), who were denied their first league tournament title.
They had one last chance to force overtime after Anjale Barrett’s missed free throw with 9.4 seconds remaining kept it a three-point game.
Georgia Tech called time with 5.6 seconds left and got the ball to Marshall, whose contested 22-footer failed to hit the rim as the buzzer sounded.
WEST VIRGINIA 39
No. 12 GEORGETOWN 32
Taylor Palmer scored all 11 of her points in the second half to help West Virginia beat Georgetown in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.
Both teams struggled on offense, setting the tournament record for fewest combined points in a game, easily coming in under the mark of 78 set in 2005 by Boston College and Villanova.
Leading 21-18 with 14:39 left, West Virginia used a 14-6 run to take control of the game. Palmer hit three 3-pointers during the spurt, including one with 6:56 left that made it 34-24. That was the Mountaineers’ (23-7) final basket of the game.
TEXAS 79
No. 17 TEXAS A&M 64
AUSTIN, Texas — Yvonne Anderson scored 25 points to go with nine assists and Texas beat Texas A&M, picking up a key victory to the Longhorns’ NCAA tournament hopes.
Texas (18-12, 8-10 Big 12) ended the regular season with three straight wins and finished out a season sweep of the defending national champions.
The Aggies (20-9, 11-7) head into the Big 12 tournament with three losses in their last four games.
Chassidy Fussell scored 19 for Texas. Kelsey Bone had 13 points and eight rebounds for Texas A&M.
The game was the last regular-season matchup between the rivals.
Texas A&M leaves the league after this season to go to the Southeastern Conference and Texas officials have given no indication they plan to schedule the Aggies for nonconference games.
No. 19 ST. BONAVENTURE 78
SAINT JOSEPH’S 52
PHILADELPHIA — Megan Van Tatenhove scored 27 points and Jessica Jenkins added 22 as St. Bonaventure cruised past Saint Joseph’s.
The Bonnies (29-2), the top seed in the tournament, advanced to the A-10 finals on Monday for the first time in program history. With the win, St. Bonaventure also extended its best-ever winning streak to 18 straight games.
This one was never really in doubt, as the Bonnies never trailed.
The Hawks stayed close early on, but Jenkins, who hit four 3-pointers in the game, knocked down a jumper and then a trey to turn a three-point Bonnies lead midway through the first half into 13-point halftime edge thanks to a 14-4 run.
The Bonnies then outscored the Hawks 45-32 in the second half to seal it.
Michelle Baker had 22 points to pace the fifth-seeded Hawks (21-10).