Final
Gonzaga continues its hot play, advances to first-ever Elite Eight
Mar 27, 2011 - 6:02 AM Spokane, WA (Sports Network) - Courtney Vandersloot poured in 29 points, dished out seven assists and recorded seven steals while leading the 11th- seeded Bulldogs of Gonzaga to a 76-69 victory over the seventh-seeded Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.Kelly Bowen added 12 points for Gonzaga (31-4), which will face Stanford in the regional final on Monday. Katelan Redmon tallied 10 points for the Bulldogs, who have claimed 21 consecutive victories.
Shoni Schimmel registered 18 points for Louisville (22-13), while Keshia Hines chipped in 17 points in the loss. Louisville took a major hit early in the matchup, as the team's leading scorer Monique Reid (15.9 ppg) suffered an injury less than two minutes into the contest and finished with just two points.
The Bulldogs went into the break with a 35-24 advantage after shooting 50.0 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes of action.
Gonzaga pushed its lead to as many as 20 points in the second stanza, but the Cardinals soared back and pulled within three points late in the half. However, the Bulldogs were able to hold on for the victory thanks to some key free throws by Vandersloot down the stretch.
This is the first-ever Elite Eight appearance for Gonzaga, and the 11th-seeded Bulldogs are the lowest seed to advance to the regional final in the history of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Vandersloot's seven assists give the point guard 358 on the year, which is a new NCAA single-season mark.
- GONZAGA: 76
LOUISVILLE: 69
Final
Mar 26 11:01 PM - 89
rootsRUWTbot Added 10 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Gonzaga(11) 65, Louisville(7) 62 4th - 2:35Mar 26 10:49 PM - 79
rootsRUWTbot Added 34 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Gonzaga(11) 63, Louisville(7) 60 4th - 3:30Mar 26 10:47 PM - 45
rootsRUWTbot Added 16 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Gonzaga(11) 61, Louisville(7) 56 4th - 4:30Mar 26 10:46 PM - GONZAGA: 35
LOUISVILLE: 24
Halftime
Mar 26 9:49 PM - GONZAGA: 0
LOUISVILLE: 0
1st Half - 20:00
Mar 26 9:04 PM
Related News
- DePaul beats Louisville 73-72 behind January's 25 points Mar 21
- DePaul-Louisville Preview Mar 19
- Louisville and DePaul renew series for spot in Sweet 16 Mar 19
- Louisville tops Central Arkansas 87-60, Hines-Allen Mar 18
- Cent. Arkansas-Louisville Preview Mar 17
- NCAA games in Louisville match 4 teams on late-season rolls Mar 17
- Louisville coach writes to fans' bosses about skipping work Mar 16
- No. 17 Syracuse women beat No. 7 Louisville 80-75 in ACCs Mar 5
- No. 7 Louisville women beat Georgia Tech 60-50 in ACC Mar 4
- No. 10 Louisville women coast to 65-36 win over Pitt Feb 28
- No. 10 Louisville beats No. 17 Miami 79-51 Feb 25
- Hines-Allen leads No. 11 Louisville women past BC 55-45 Feb 21