Perez’s clutch play late lifts Wolfpack
Raina Perez’s steal at midcourt and layup with 14 seconds left lifted topseeded North Carolina State to a 66-63 win over fifth-seed Notre Dame on Saturday in the Bridgeport Region semifinals.
It’s the Wolfpack’s first trip to the Elite Eight since 1998 when they reached the Final Four. They advanced to the regional final Monday night against secondseeded Connecticut.
N.C. State had lost in the Sweet 16 the previous three tournaments and looked as if it was going to make it four straight until the late rally led by Perez and Kai Crutchfield, who also came back for the extra COVID year granted by the NCAA.
“For this group it would have been hard for me to face the fact they they all came back and we still didn’t get over the hump,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. “That makes me feel really good and I’m so excited for our program to do this, kind of break through. It took a while, four years of the Sweet 16 to get through that wall.”
Trailing 59-51 early in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack (32-3) rallied, scoring 15 of the final 19 points capped by Perez’s layup. The Irish (24-9) had one last chance, but Maddy Westbeld missed a three-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 goahead layup in the final minute as the No. 3 Wolverines (25-6) reached the Elite Eight for the first time.
Phelia scored 14 points and Leigha Brown added 10 for Michigan, which will play No. 1 seed Louisville on Monday with a trip to the Final Four at stake.
The No. 10 Coyotes (29-6) were trying to become just the fifth double-digit seed to reach the Elite Eight. Hannah Sjerven had 17 points and eight rebounds before fouling out, while Chloe Lamb, the Summit League player of the year who averaged 16 points per game, was held to just six points.
Connecticut 75, Indiana 58:
Paige Bueckers and Christyn Williams each scored 15 points to lead a balanced offense to advance the Huskies (28-5) into their 16th straight regional final.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds for Connecticut. The Hoosiers (24-9) were outscored 46-32 in the paint.
Azzi Fudd added 13 points for the Huskies, who will attempt to earn a 14th straight trip to the Final Four on Monday.
Louisville 76, Tennessee 64:
Hailey Van Lith had 23 points and six assists, Emily Engstler had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the No.-1 seeded Cardinals (28-4) held off the Volunteers (25-9) to reach the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive time.
Kianna Smith also had 12 points for Louisville, which blew most of an early 15-point lead before pulling away late in the fourth quarter.