NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP Women's college basketball

Connecticut 85, Old Dominion 64
MILWAUKEE -- Sue Bird and the unbeaten Connecticut Huskies bounced the party crashers right out of the NCAA tournament. Bird scored a career-high 26 points and dished out 11 assists as UConn advanced to its third Final Four in the last eight years by beating Old Dominion. The Lady Monarchs (28-6), miffed at their No. 7 seeding, had used the perceived slight to fuel upsets of second-seeded Purdue and third-seeded Kansas State. But they could only watch helplessly as the top-ranked and top-seeded Huskies (37-0) made their first 13 shots and sank their first five free throws in racing to a 34-14 lead less than 10 minutes into the Mideast Regional final. With a dominating display of crisp passing and accurate shooting, the Huskies jumped out to a 20-4 lead in less than five minutes and sank 19 of their first 21 shots from the field before "settling" for a 75 percent mark (21-of-28) at halftime, when they were up 55-33. Their lead never dipped below 14 in the second half.
Tennessee 68, Vanderbilt 63
AMES, Iowa -- Tennessee beat a familiar opponent to put itself back in a familiar setting. Gwen Jackson had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Michelle Snow hit three key shots down the stretch as second-seeded Tennessee beat top-seeded Vanderbilt in the Midwest Regional final, sending the Lady Vols to the Final Four for the 13th time. Tennessee (29-4) built a 15-point lead early in the second half against its Southeastern Conference rival, then survived a rally that got the Commodores (30-7) within two points. Chantelle Anderson's 35 points and 12 rebounds weren't enough to get Vanderbilt to the Final Four for the second time. Vanderbilt lost to eventual champion Notre Dame in the Midwest Regional final last year.
Duke 77, South Carolina 68
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Alana Beard scored 24 points and Monique Currie added 15 as Duke beat South Carolina in the East Regional championship to earn its second trip to the Final Four. The top-seeded Blue Devils (31-3), who have won a school-record 22 straight games, advance to San Antonio to face Oklahoma. The Blue Devils are returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1999, when they lost to Purdue in the championship game. South Carolina (25-7) beat Duke during the regular season, winning 87-81 in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 25. On Monday, the Blue Devils had an answer for nearly run by the third seeded Gamecocks, rallying from a one-point deficit midway through the second half with several clutch shots and tough defense.
Oklahoma 94, Colorado 60
BOISE, Idaho -- Chalk up another major accomplishment for Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale: a trip to the Final Four. LaNeishea Caufield scored 25 points and Stacey Dales had 20 as top-seeded Oklahoma rolled past No. 3 Colorado in the West Regional final, sending the Sooners to San Antonio. Caufield shot 5-for-5 in the second half and scored 14 points during a 32-6 second-half run that guaranteed Oklahoma (31-3) of becoming the first Big 12 team ever to reach the Final Four. Jamie Talbert and Rosalind Ross each scored 12 for Oklahoma, which lost in the NCAA tournament's third round the past two years. Coale, in her sixth season, has a Final Four to go with three straight Big 12 titles. Oklahoma will play Duke in Friday's national semifinals. Eisha Bohman led Colorado (24-10) with 18 points but the Buffaloes committed 29 turnovers, 15 above their season average.
-- Associated Press