WOMEN'S NCAA | Saturday's games

LSU 66, DePaul 56
When reigning player of the year and national scoring leader Seimone Augustus missed a fast-break layup that would've broken an early second-half tie, it looked like LSU might have serious trouble shaking DePaul. Turns out, it only delayed things by a few possessions. The Lady Tigers scored the game's next 12 points, six by Augustus, and used tight defense to pull away from the Blue Demons for a victory Saturday in the semifinals of the San Antonio Regional. Augustus finished with 18 points -- and a twisted ankle -- and Sylvia Fowles had 13 points and 19 rebounds to help send top-seeded LSU (30-3) into the regional finals for the fourth straight year. The Lady Tigers will try making it three straight Final Fours when they play Stanford on Monday. Jenna Rubino led the Blue Demons with 15 points, all on 3-pointers. She was 5-of-9 behind the arc and 5-of-13 overall. Khara Smith, the school's career leader in rebounds and No. 2 on the scoring list, had 13 points (on 6-of-20 shooting) and 20 rebounds.
Stanford 88, Oklahoma 74
Before she was in high school, Courtney Paris used to watch Brooke Smith with wide-eyed admiration. Now Paris' Oklahoma teammates understand why. Showing off a variety of hooks, fadeaway jumpers and other moves, Smith made 14 of 16 shots and finished with a career-high 35 points, leading third-seeded Stanford. What was expected to be a tight game between growing rivals turned into an early rout. The Cardinal (26-7) made eight of their first nine shots and led 19-4 before the game was five minutes old. While Smith was doing her thing on offense, Kristen Newlin and Candice Wiggins were doing a tremendous job double-teaming Paris, taking her out of the dominating form that had led Oklahoma (31-5) to 19 straight wins. Paris, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound freshman from the San Francisco Bay area, had as many first-half turnovers (four) as field goals. The Cardinal were up by 19 in the second half when she finally got into a groove. She helped the Sooners get within 68-62 with 7:56 left, but Smith and Stanford proved too tough. Smith hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to start rebuilding the lead, getting it back to 14 with 3:28 to go. It hit 14 again in the final minute as the Cardinal wound up cruising into the regional finals for the third straight year and 11th overall. Paris finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Her 12th board was her 535th of the season, breaking the NCAA record set by Drake's Wanda Ford in 1984-85. After Oklahoma's final basket, Wiggins dribbled out the clock flashing her trademark wide smile. Smith was grinning too, then slapped high-five with Newlin near midcourt. Wiggins threw up the ball as the buzzer expired, joining her teammates in a group hug. The Sooners, whose season also ended with a tournament loss to Stanford two years ago, watched from in front of their bench -- except for Paris, whose back was turned, mainly to hide her tears. Once she wiped them away, she lined up for the postgame handshake with players she's known for years like Smith and Wiggins, whom she faced twice in high school championship games and was teammates with the last two summers on under-19 national teams.
Before she was in high school, Courtney Paris used to watch Brooke Smith with wide-eyed admiration. Now Paris' Oklahoma teammates understand why. Showing off a variety of hooks, fadeaway jumpers and other moves, Smith made 14 of 16 shots and finished with a career-high 35 points, leading third-seeded Stanford. What was expected to be a tight game between growing rivals turned into an early rout. The Cardinal (26-7) made eight of their first nine shots and led 19-4 before the game was five minutes old. While Smith was doing her thing on offense, Kristen Newlin and Candice Wiggins were doing a tremendous job double-teaming Paris, taking her out of the dominating form that had led Oklahoma (31-5) to 19 straight wins. Paris, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound freshman from the San Francisco Bay area, had as many first-half turnovers (four) as field goals. The Cardinal were up by 19 in the second half when she finally got into a groove. She helped the Sooners get within 68-62 with 7:56 left, but Smith and Stanford proved too tough. Smith hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to start rebuilding the lead, getting it back to 14 with 3:28 to go. It hit 14 again in the final minute as the Cardinal wound up cruising into the regional finals for the third straight year and 11th overall. Paris finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Her 12th board was her 535th of the season, breaking the NCAA record set by Drake's Wanda Ford in 1984-85. After Oklahoma's final basket, Wiggins dribbled out the clock flashing her trademark wide smile. Smith was grinning too, then slapped high-five with Newlin near midcourt. Wiggins threw up the ball as the buzzer expired, joining her teammates in a group hug. The Sooners, whose season also ended with a tournament loss to Stanford two years ago, watched from in front of their bench -- except for Paris, whose back was turned, mainly to hide her tears. Once she wiped them away, she lined up for the postgame handshake with players she's known for years like Smith and Wiggins, whom she faced twice in high school championship games and was teammates with the last two summers on under-19 national teams.
Associated Press