Texas A&M sets comeback record
Khaalia Hillsman scored 27 points and Texas A&M overcame a 21-point deficit in the final 8½ minutes to stun Penn 63-61 in Los Angeles on Saturday for the biggest comeback in women’s NCAA Tournament history.
Hillsman scored the goahead basket with 19.1 seconds left as the fifth-seeded Aggies finished the game on a 27-1 run to beat the 12th-seeded Quakers.
The rally surpassed the previous record of a 16-point deficit, according to the NCAA.
“In the fourth quarter I was just trying to have some pride in what we do,” Hillsman said. “We weren’t representing our school very well for 30 minutes, and then in the last 10, we found something in us.”
The Quakers (22-8), sparked by Sydney Stipanovich’s 20 points and some horrendous shooting by the Aggies, dominated the game through three quarters.
But after going down by 21, the Aggies (22-11) went to fullcourt pressure. The Quakers, who had won 13 of their previous 14 games, turned the ball over 12 times and then went cold from the field, not converting a basket for the final 8:58 of the game. The Quakers missed their final 10 shots.
The Aggies also went cold from the field until the final minutes. A&M’s Danni Williams hit a deep three-pointer with 36.2 seconds left to set the stage for Hillsman’s go-ahead basket. Hillsman added nine rebounds.
Both Notre Dame and Michigan State rallied from 16 down in the Final Four to hold the previous comeback mark. The Irish did it in 2001 against UConn and the Spartans rallied against Tennessee in 2005.
Texas A&M scored 20 points from the free-throw line (in 26 attempts), including 13 points from the line in the fourth quarter. The Aggies will meet host and fourth-seeded UCLA on Monday at Pauley Pavilion.
More Bridgeport Region: In Durham, N.C., Oregon’s Ruthy Hebard hit a jumper with 5.5 seconds remaining, then blocked Temple’s layup attempt at the buzzer, and the 10th-seeded Ducks escaped with a 71-70 win . ... In Los Angeles, Monique Billings scored 19 points and Jordin Canada had 15 points and 16 assists to help fourthseeded UCLA roll to an 83-56 win over 13th-seeded Boise State . ... In Storrs, Conn., Napheesa Collier and Kia Nurse each scored 24 points as four-time defending champion UConn (33-0) routed 16th-seeded Albany 116-55 for the program’s 108th straight win and 25th straight in the NCAA Tournament. Imani Tate had 19 points and Jessica Fequiere scored 16 to lead Albany . ... Also in Storrs, Brittney Sykes scored 28 points and Alexis Peterson added 25 to lead eighthseeded Syracuse (22-10) to an 85-65 win over ninth-seeded Iowa State . ... In Durham, Rebecca Greenwell had 26 points and 10 rebounds in secondseeded Duke’s 94-31 rout of Hampton. Stockton Region: Jennifer Fay scored 20 points and 12th-seeded Quinnipiac — a school of 9,000 students in Hamden, Conn. — held on to beat fifth-seeded Marquette 68-65 at Coral Gables, Fla., for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win ... Also in Coral Gables, Keyona Hayes scored 16 points, two on the go-ahead basket inside with 1.5 seconds remaining, and fourth-seeded Miami rallied to beat 13th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast 62-60. Oklahoma City Region: In Seattle, Kelsey Plum scored 17 of her 29 points in the second half, Chantel Osahor had her 28th double-double of the season with 16 points and 19 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Washington (28-5) pulled to a 91-63 win over 14th-seeded Montana State . ... Also in Seattle, Vionise Pierre-Louis had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots and No. 6 seed Oklahoma used its early hot shooting to hold off 11th-seeded Gonzaga 75-62 . ... In Waco, Texas, Kalani Brown scored 21 points and top-seeded Baylor overwhelmed much smaller Texas Southern 119-30 in the most lopsided women’s NCAA Tournament game ever . ... In Louisville, Ky., Asia Durr scored 27 points to lead fourth-seeded Louisville (28-7) to an 82-62 victory over 13th-seeded Chattanooga . ... Also in Louisville, Diamond DeShields scored 24 points as fifth-seeded Tennessee (20-11) beat 12th-seeded Dayton, 66-57.