2012 NCAA Tournament: Notre Dame beats Maryland, headed to Final Four
The top-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish dominated the
second-seeded Maryland Terrapins in securing an 80-49 victory and
earning the Raleigh Regional title in the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball
Championship Tournament held at PNC Arena in...
The Raleigh Regional final of the 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament takes place on Tuesday night as the top-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish and second-seeded Maryland Terrapins will meet for what should be a well-contested defensive battle to the end.
It's the best of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) against the best of the Big East Conference (Big East) in NCAA Tournament play.
Follow In-Game notes below during the game - tip-off is 9 p.m.
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| Maryland celebrates after beating Texas A&M - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting |
Maryland has come from behind to win each of its three NCAA tournament contests.
The Terrapins trailed by as many as 18 in the first half and 12 in the second half against defending national champion Texas A&M.
They trailed by five points with six minutes remaining in its second-round contest against Louisville.
And they trailed by four points in the first half against Navy.
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| The Fighing Irish Faithful will want to celebrate again - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting |
Fighting Irish know how to shut it down
Notre Dame’s 44-point margin of victory over St. Bonaventure matches the largest ever in a Sweet 16 contest, a 91-47 win over Purdue in the Midwest Regional semifinal on March 22, 1990.
It was the fewest points Notre Dame has ever allowed in an NCAA Tournament game.
Notre Dame has participated in three previous regional finals, including last year, and this is the first time in school history that the Fighting Irish have made back-to-back Elite Eights.
Recent NCAA Women's Basketball Championship news on Examiner.com:
2012 NCAA Tournament: Fighting Irish, Terrapins, Aggies, Bonnies at PNC Arena
Women’s college basketball fans in the Triangle may not be
entirely familiar with the top-level teams that are in town to compete
in the Raleigh Regional of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship
Tournament &ndash...
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| Maryland Terrapins warming up with Strength coaches - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
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| Skylar Diggins leads Notre Dame in warm-ups - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
Tip-off at in 45 minutes
1st half:
- Maryland gets the tip with Anjale Barrett contolling the ball but a pass inside goes out-of-bounds
- Skylar Diggins with the ball for Notre Dame and finds Devereaux Peters for an easy layup - 2-0 Fighting Irish lead
- Terrapins come back and Alicia DeVaughn gets the layup to tie it
- Diggins gets it and puts up a nice floater to take the lead
- DeVaughn gets another two and Notre Dame tries to even it up, but miss and Alyssa Thomas comes the other wasy and hits a jumper - 6-4 Terrapins lead
- Kayla McBride hits a three-pointer to take the lead
- Barrett comes back with a layup and Maryland leads 8-7 with 15:50 to play
- Fighting Irish tie it up - 8-8 with 14 minutes to go
- Notre Dame's takent the lead 12-8 but Thomas hits a jumper from the FT and causes a turnover and drives in for the layup - tie game 12-12 with 11:30 to play
- Maryland's Lynetta Kizer drives the lane and through Natalie Ochonwa - she's going to get checked out - took an elbow to the mouth
- Notre Dame with the ball and they fight hard to score two on the rebound and put-back by Diggins
- Terrapins come down and Thomas is fouled while going to the hoop - she scores one - 14-13 Notre Dame lead
- Achonwa gets the layup for Notre Dame to extend the lead to 16-13 with under 10 minutes to play
- Diggins scores and then Achonwa gets antoher layup and the Fighting Irish now lead 20-13 with 8:29 to play
- Maryland misses on their possession and then Diggins drives to the hoop and kicks it out to Brittany Mallory who passes it to McBride and she hits a three-pointer - lead increases to 23-13 with 7:41 left
- Kim Rodgers tries the three but misses and Mallory brings it up and passes to Diggins who drives for the layup - drops it and is dropped herself by Rodgers - she's get a FT and drops it
- As Notre Dame leads 26-13 Maryland can't seem to get any offense going and are not getting their own rebounds
- Notre Dame threatens again and Thomas fouls McBride - shot shoots two FT's and drops them both - 28-13 Irish lead
- After a turnover by Maryland, Notre Dame turns it over and Thomas feeds Mincy for the easy layup
- While scoring Mincy's shoe comes loose and as the Fighting Irish bring the ball up she's trying to put it on - Diggins drives by her as she can't keep up with her because her shoe is falling off
- After a few baskets traded back and forth - Notre Dame leads 32-17 with 3:42 to go
- Novosel hits and three-pointer after getting a screen on Barrett
- Tiana Hawkins starting to crash the boards with success and scores
- Notre Dame comes back and Achonwa scores on two successive possessions - 38-19 Fighting Irish lead with 2:13 to go
- Notre Dame on an 8-2 run over the last 1:47 of play
- Maryland's offense has not rhythm as Thomas attempts a three but misses entirely and Notre Dame rebounds it
- DeVaughn cleans up the rebound after Thomas is quadruple-teamed - lead is 17 points in Notre Dame's favor with under a minute to play
- Maryland can't convert on its first try to score before the half ends - Fighting Irish defense is tight
- With 12.2 seconds remaining Diggins finds a seam and drive into the lane and gets the basket and the foul - she misses the extra point and the Fighting Irish lead 40-21 at the half
Interesting notes at the half:
Notre Dame: shooting 43% - leading scorer - Skylar Diggins - 13 points
Maryland: shooting 38% - leading scorer - Alyssa Thomas - 7 points
Difference-maker: Notre Dame is outrebounding Maryland 24-15
2nd half:
- Mincy misses but so does Notre Dame
- Barrett drives the land and scores the layup - 40-23 Fighting Irish lead
- Diggins drive and is fouled - she drops one of two FT's
- Diggins steals it and passes to Novosel for and easy layup
- Notre Dame causes a turnover and McBrideMallory drives for the layup and is followed up by a layup by McBride - Notre Dame leads 45-24 with 17:32 to go
- Hawkins scores for the Terps and the Fighting Irish come back with Diggins to Novosel for three points
- Hawkins scores four more points for the Terps but Ochonwa answers back
- Kizer drops a jumper - 52-32 Notre Dame leads
- Both teams trade baskets and its 54-34 with 14:13 left in the half
- Another two points by Thomas and Novosel - 56-36
- Diggins steals it and score while Barrett scores on a layup
- Novosel with a three-pointer and the Notre Dame lead is now 22 points - 60-38 with 11:15 left
- Notre Dame on a 8-0 run over the last 1:49 - lead 66-38
- Highlight of the half - Mincy goes up for a shot that is swatted away by Ochonwa and save by Peters who outlets a long pass upcourt to Diggins for the easy layup
- Thomas makes two FT's but Ochonwa's layup from Diggins gets the lead back up to 28 - 70-42
- McBride scores another two points
- Thomas hits a jumper and Maryland trails 74-46 with 5:20 to play
- Both teams getting a little slopping with turnovers and traveling calls
- Novosel drives the lane and scores two more - has 14 so far
- Fighting Irish have continued to build their lead up to 80-48 with 1:19 to play as all Notre Dame starters have been substituted
- Maryland scores a FT but it is only a matter of time in his one
- The Terps can't score on their last possession and Notre Dame holds on to the ball as time runs out
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| Notre Dame Fighting Irish - NCAA Raleigh Regional Winners - Peter Koutroumpis, PKS Consulting LLC |
