Tar Heels rally from 18 down to beat Louisville

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell couldn’t bring herself to belabor her team’s 25 turnovers, double-digit rebounding deficit or bumbling first half.

The Tar Heels had shown too much grit, too much poise in the face of adversity, to be cut down by their own coach.

LaToya Pringle had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and North Carolina climbed out of an 18-point hole in a 78-74 victory over fourth-seeded Louisville Saturday, keeping alive the top-seeded Tar Heels’ bid for a third straight trip to the Final Four.

“When you look at those numbers and you still won, I see that as a positive, because I don’t think we’re going to play like that again,” Hatchell said. “Those kids had so much heart. It’s tough, and we had to rise to the occasion.”

The victory extended the Tar Heels’ winning streak to 16 and placed them in the regional final Monday night, when they’ll play LSU.

LSU 67, Oklahoma State 52

NEW ORLEANS — LSU complemented its stifling defense with a balanced offense that proved to be too much for Oklahoma State to handle.

Erica White scored 18 points to lead four LSU players in double figures, and the second-seeded Lady Tigers cruised.

Rashonta LeBlanc had 11 of her 13 points in the second half for LSU (30-5), while Sylvia Fowles had 12 points and Quianna Chaney 10 for the Lady Tigers, seeking to advance to a fifth straight Final Four.