RALEIGH, N.C. — Marissa Coleman dropped into a crouch as the final horn sounded, emotionally drained and physically exhausted after the game of her life.
Never before had the Maryland senior scored that many points — and the Terrapins needed every single one to return to the regional finals.
Coleman scored a career-high 42 points, including the go-ahead basket with 27.9 seconds left, as Maryland rallied from 18 down to beat Vanderbilt 78-74 on Saturday.
“I just didn’t want my career to end,” Coleman said. “I love playing with this team, and I love wearing a Maryland uniform. That’s just what I told myself, that every time I walked onto the floor, I was going to defend, rebound, do whatever I needed to do to keep my career going.”
Maryland (31-4) will play No. 3 seed Louisville — coached by former Maryland assistant Jeff Walz — on Monday night for a spot in the Final Four.
Stanford 84, Ohio State 66
BERKELEY, Calif. — Jayne Appel had 25 points and 11 rebounds while dominating her low-post matchup with Jantel Lavender, and the Cardinal (32-4) moved within one win of its second straight trip to the Final Four.
Jillian Harmon had 16 points, six assists and countless hustle plays for the Cardinal, and Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 15 points in its 19th consecutive win.
Lavender, the Big Ten player of the year, had 15 points and seven rebounds while battling foul trouble for the Buckeyes (29-6).
Louisville 56, Baylor 39
RALEIGH, N.C. — Angel McCoughtry had 22 points and 12 rebounds while Candyce Bingham sparked the decisive second-half run to help the Cardinals beat Baylor, sending them to the first regional championship game in school history.
Bingham had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Cardinals (32-4).
That included two critical 3-pointers during Louisville’s 12-0 spurt midway through the half that finally blunted a gritty performance by the second-seeded Bears (29-6).
The Associated Press
