Indiana upsets n.c. state for 1st elite eight trip

SAN ANTONIO» Ali Patberg scored 17 points to help fourth-seeded Indiana beat No. 1 seed North Carolina State 73-70 on Saturday night, sending the Hoosiers to the regional final for the first time in school history.

Indiana (21-5) had been in the Sweet 16 just once before, back in 1983.

Indiana led 70-60 with 2:51 left before N.C. State scored eight straight points to get within two with 1:21 left. The Wolfpack (22-3) had a chance to tie it, but star Elissa Cunane missed a contested layup with 30 seconds left.

Nicole Cardano-Hillary then made two free throws with 21.1 seconds left. Before those two from the line, Indiana had been a dismal 6 for 13 on free throws.

The Wolfpack weren’t done, with Raina Perez making a jumper in the lane to get N.C. State back within two with 13.5 seconds left. Patberg then hit one of two free throws to make it 73-70 and Cunane missed badly on a 3-point attempt just before the buzzer, setting off a wild celebration by the Hoosiers at midcourt.

Indiana trailed 33-28 late in the first half before scoring the final six points of the second quarter. It carried the momentum into the third, opening a 45-35 lead. Indiana hit seven of its first eight shots in the period.

BAYLor 78, MICHIGAN 75, ot.

NaLyssa Smith scored 24 points and Queen Egbo made two big plays in the final seconds of overtime, leading second-seeded Baylor to the victory.

Egbo gave Baylor a 78-75 lead with a foul shot with 19 seconds left. After Leigha Brown scored for Michigan, Egbo picked up an assist on Moon Ursin’s wideopen layup.

Akienreh Johnson missed a half-court try for sixth-seeded Michigan, and the Big Ten team was unable to get a last shot near the basket before time ran out.

Smith was 11-for-11 from the floor. Ursin had 20 points for Baylor (28-2).

Brown scored 23 for Michigan (16-6), which had never before advanced this far in the tournament.

ArIZoNA 74, tEXAs A&M 59.

Aari McDonald scored 31 points to lead No. 3 Arizona to a win over No. 2 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 and send the Wildcats to the regional final for the first time in program history.

The Wildcats (19-5) had only made one previous trip the regional semifinals, when coach Adia Barnes was a player in 1998.

This time they rode their Pac12 player of the year and 13 3pointers to the school’s biggest victory yet. McDonald was 6-of12 shooting from long range.