Tennessee, North Carolina advance to Final Four

The Volunteers qualified for the 17th time.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTON -- To beat Tennessee, Mississippi needed to play a nearly perfect game.
Instead, Candace Parker and the Lady Vols did.
With Parker dominating at both ends and the talented Lady Vols getting contributions from almost everybody else on the roster, they rolled over the Rebels and into their 17th Final Four 98-62 on Tuesday night.
By winning the Dayton Regional, top-seeded Tennessee (32-3) moves on to play North Carolina in the national semifinals in Cleveland on Sunday.
LSU (30-7) and Rutgers (26-8) meet in the other game.
Parker scored 24 points and had 14 rebounds, but she dictated the game in many ways. She hit 10 of 14 shots from the field and also had three assists, three steals and five blocked shots in a virtual highlight film of a game.
She might have posted even gaudier numbers if coach Pat Summitt hadn't rested her at the end of the first half and for the final 12:10 of the game.
Sidney Spencer had 16 of her 22 points in the second half.
Shannon Bobbitt had 14 points, including 10 of Tennessee's first 24 in a fast start. Alberta Auguste added 12 points.
Rebels
Armintie Price dazzled for 30 points for seventh-seeded Ole Miss (24-11), which has been within a game of the Final Four five times and has lost every time. Ashley Awkward chipped in with 14 points.
The Lady Vols shot 52 percent from the field and hit 8-of-11 3-pointers while limiting Ole Miss to just 32 percent shooting from the field. The Rebels were just 3 of 20 behind the arc.
"This team is very special," Summitt said after she was presented with the regional championship trophy. "Congratulations, ladies. Let's move on!"
Parker, one of the most acclaimed players in the country, was at her very best.
After point guard Bobbitt, who averages 8.5 points, had 10 points in the opening 7 minutes, the 6-foot-4 Parker took over.
She had 14 points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists in the first half as the Lady Vols coasted to a 51-22 lead.
She wasn't alone, either. The Lady Vols shot 59 percent from the field, making 5-of-7 3-pointers, to build the big lead.
They were crisp on offense, tough on defense and seemed to come up with every loose ball.
No one can argue with Tennessee's incredible NCAA legacy, which is backed by a series of staggering numbers.
The Lady Vols are the only team to be included in all 26 tournaments, in which they have a 96-19 record. In regional championship games only, they are 17-5.
North Carolina 84, Purdue 72
DALLAS -- Once again, Ivory Latta was headed to the locker room way too early in a late-round NCAA tournament game, North Carolina's hopes possibly going with her.
Only this time, Latta came back. And the Tar Heels never wavered.
Latta limped off a few minutes before halftime, but returned to help Erlana Larkins lead a strong start to the second half that top-seeded North Carolina clinched a spot in the Final Four for the second year in a row.
Last year's title shot was ruined when Latta hurt her knee early in a loss to Maryland in the national semifinal. Now a senior who has vowed to do whatever it takes to go out with a championship, she'll have a few days to recover before facing fellow No. 1 seed Tennessee in Cleveland on Sunday.
Larkins had a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Tar Heels (34-3) set a school record for wins and kept alive their chances for a second crown. Latta had 21 points, her most this tournament.
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