Van Lith, Engstler lead Louisville past Lady Vols
Players combine for 43 points in victory vs. resurgent Tennessee
Hailey Van Lith had 23 points and six assists, Emily Engstler had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Louisville held off Tennessee 7664 in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday to reach the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive time.
Kianna Smith also had 12 points for the Cardinals (28-4), who blew most of an early 15-point lead before pulling away late in the fourth quarter.
Rae Burrell led the fourthseeded Lady Volunteers (25-9)
with 22 points.
N.C. State 66, Notre Dame 63: Reina Perez’s steal at midcourt and layup with 14 seconds left lifted top-seeded N.C. State to a win over fifth-seed Notre Dame in the Bridgeport Region semifinals. It’s the Wolfpack’s first trip to the Elite Eight since 1998 when they reached the Final Four. Trailing 59-51 early in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack rallied, scoring 15 of the final 19 points capped by Perez’s layup. The Irish had one last chance, but Maddy Westbeld missed a 3-pointer from the wing and Perez hit both free throws for the final margin.
Michigan 52, South Dakota 49:
Naz Hillmon had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Laila Phelia scored the go-ahead layup in the final minute for No. 3 Michigan, which beat No. 10 seed South Dakota to reach the Elite Eight for the first time. Phelia scored 14 points and Leigha Brown added 10 for the Wolverines (25-6).
Notes: Georgia hired Central Florida’s Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, making her just the third full-time head coach in the history of the women’s basketball team. Abrahamson-Henderson, who previously coached at UAlbany and Missouri State, played two seasons at Georgia in the 1980s. She was hired just three days after Joni Taylor left for the coaching job at Texas A&M. Abrahamson-Henderson has been a head coach for 17 seasons . ... Dayton hired Wittenberg coach and former Ohio high school star Tamika WilliamsJeter to take over its women’s basketball program . ... Syracuse has hired Felisha Legette-Jack as head coach of the women’s basketball program, the university announced. The 55-year-old Legette-Jack, a 1989 graduate of Syracuse and a two-time honorable mention AllAmerican as a player, has been head coach at Buffalo for a decade.