2B
NCAA Tournament
Tuesday March 17,1998
First round March 13-14
Second round March 15-16
Regionals Semifinals Semifinals Regionals Second round March 15-16 First round March 13-14
(1) Texas Tech
(16) Grambling
(8) SW Missouri St.
(9) Notre Dame
(5) Drake
(12) Colorado State
(4) Purdue
(13) Washington
(6) Clemson
(11) Miami
(3) Louisiana Tech
(14) Holy Cross
(7) UCLA
(10) Michigan
(2) Alabama
(15) UNC-Greensboro
Texas Tech
Notre Dame
Colorado State
Purdue
MIDWEST
Clemson
Louisiana Tech
UCLA
Alabama
Old Dominion
Nebraska
Youngstown St.
NC State
EAST
Virginia
Virginia
Arizona
Geo. Washington
Connecticut
Women's National Championship
Kansas City, Mo.
March 30
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Tennessee
Western Kentucky
Rutgers
Iowa State
MIDEAST
Santa Barbara
Illinois
North Carolina
Florida Int'l
North Carolina
Harvard
Arkansas
Kansas
Iowa
WEST
Virginia Tech
Florida
Louisville
Duke
Tennessee
Liberty
Western Kentucky
Stephen F. Austin
Rutgers
Oregon
Iowa State
Kent
Vanderbilt
Santa Barbara
Illinois
Wisconsin-GB
Florida International
Marquette
North Carolina
Howard
Stanford
Harvard
Hawaii
Arkansas
Kansas
Tulane
Iowa
Massachusetts
Wisconsin
Virginia Tech
Florida
Montana
Utah
Louisville
Duke
Middle Tennessee St.15)
Blue Devils stay alive in women's tournament
The Associated Press
reach the final 16 of
DURHAM, N.C. — Nicole Erickson hit five three-pointers on her way to 21 points last night as Duke beat Louisville 69-53 to
Peppi Brown added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the
readie the NCAA women's tournament for the first time.
Blue Devils, who started the game hitting 13 of 22 shots from the floor.
Seeded No. 2 in the West Regional, Duke (23-8) entered the game 0-4 in second-round contests.
Misty Smith came off the bench to score 17 points for Louisville (20-12). Sharon Bellamy added 16 before fouling out with 3:19 to play.
Three of her three-pointers came in a 2:40 span midway through the first half and sparked an 11-0 Duke run, turning a nine-point lead into a 20-point advantage. Duke led 39-21 at the break.
Alabama's shot still upsets UCLA
Louisville scored the first four points of the second half, but could get no closer than 39-25.
Duke went scoreless for 7:18 midway through the second half, but Louisville missed 10 straight shots in one stretch and could only close to within 60-43.
Erickson then scored eight points to lead another Duke run that pushed the score to 60-31.
The Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Three officials were barred from working 1998 women's tournament games by the NCAA yesterday after their wrong call allowed Alabama's game-winning shot against UCLA.
Jack Riordan, Robert Strong and Lolly Saenz were banned from the rest of the tournament because, the NCAA said, they made officiating mistakes at the end of the Midwest Regional game at Tuscaloosa on Sunday. The mistakes included allowing Latoya Caudle's game-winner shot to stand.
Despite finding that the home-team timekeeper started the clock too slowly and a violation was committed on the inbounds pass, the NCAA said the Crimson Tide still would be recognized as the winner.
"After reviewing the tape of the game with Marcy Weston, national coordinator of women's basketball officiating, it is apparent that officiating mistakes were made," said Jean Lenti Ponsette, chair of the Division I women's basketball committee.
It started with 1.8 seconds left, when UCLA's Mayland Martin was fouled and hit her first free throw to give the Bruins a 74-73 lead.
She missed the second, Alabama got the rebound and immediately called a timeout with the clock reading 0.8 seconds.
After the break, Riordan told Alabama guard Brittney Ezell she could run the baseline on the inbounds pass, a ruling he later admitted was incorrect. Players can only run the baseline after a made basket or free throw.
Riordan's ruling was not reversible.
Ezell ran the baseline and threw a pass three-quarters of the court, where it was tipped by both UCLA's Erica Gomez and Ala b a m a's Dominique Canty.
Canty's deflec-
Canny's deception went to Caudle, who banked in a jumper from the top of the key for the winning points.
"Clearly, the officials failed to call the violation on the end line when the student-athlete moved from the throw in spot," Ponsetto said. "However, by rule, that is not a correctable error.
UCLA coach Kathy Olivier immediately protested, thinking there was no way it all could have happened in less than a second.
"Clearly also, if the officials thought a timing error had been made, they could have reviewed the tape before they left the floor. ... They did not. Once they leave the floor, by rule, their jurisdiction ends, the game is over and the score stands."
Replays showed the clock didn't start when the ball was first touched, but once the referees left the court, the word of timekeeper Doc Blanchard was all NCAA officials could go on. Blanchard, who has been working the clock at Alabama games for more than a quarter century, said he
After ruling the basket good, the referees quickly ran to the locker room, leaving NCAA representatives to consult on the phone with Weston.
started it on time.
"They may use TV monitors for a scoring or a timing mistake if they feel a mistake has occurred — that's the operative phrase," Weston said. "They got it right. The ball was out of her hand before time expired. That's the main focus. They didn't think there was anything controversial. If they thought there was, they would have had to go to the table before they left the floor."
A 90-minute delay ensued, with several UCLA players remaining on the floor waiting for the decision.
“It's so sad that the focus after a great game is not on how the players from both teams gave their guts, but on an old clock and the guy running it,” said Olivier. “What should have been a great game for women's basketball is just a controversy.”
The win sends Alabama to Lubbock, Texas, for a regional semifinal game Friday. And it sends UCLA home, complaining.
"This underscores the problem of not playing these games at neutral sites," Olivier said. "We played a great game, and it makes me sad that they couldn't give us a definite interpretation. There are a lot of questions to answer."
Also incensed by the outcome was Natalie Williams, the American Basketball League's most valuable player. Williams says she will give back the six NCAA-sanctioned awards she won at UCLA to express her outrage.
"It is a travesty that the NCAA has not overruled the outcome of this game." Williams said in a statement she faxed Monday to the NCAA.
Rams fall short of Purdue in tourney's second round
The Associated Press
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With Colorado State putting on a shooting clinic from three-point range, Purdue needed someone — anyone — to step up. Mackenzie Curless figured it might as well be her.
The sophomore center scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half yesterday as Purdue beat Colorado State 77-63 in the second round of the women's NCAA tournament.
Ukari Figgs and Stephanie White each had 20 for the Boilermakers (22-9), and Michelle Duhart added 10.
Becky Hammon led the Rams with 23 points, 19 of which came in the first half. Katie Cronin, Colorado State's second-leading scorer, finished with 12 after going scoreless in the first half. Jacque Johnson also had 12 for Colorado State (24-6).
With 21 seconds left, rookie Purdue coach Carolyn Peck went down the bench, exchanging high-fives with her players. The Boilermakers play Notre Dame Saturday in the Midwest Regional in Lubbock, Texas. The Irish defeated top-seeded Texas Tech Sunday night.
In their only previous meeting this season, Notre Dame beat Purdue 77-71.
Colorado State led by 13 in the first half, thanks to six straight threepointers — including three from Hammon. But Purdue ended the first half with a 13-4 run to cut the lead to 38-34 at the break.
And the Boilermakers started the second half just as they ended the first — on a tear. Sparked by Curless, they scored eight unanswered points before Cronin finally hit a three-pointer, her first basket of the game.
Back-to-back baskets from Curless gave Purdue a 49-45 lead, its largest of the game, with 12:52 left. But Colorado State wasn't done yet. Cronin hit a three-pointer and then dished off to Hammon for a layup.
Heather Haanen's layup gave the Rams' a 52-49 lead with 10:48 left, but that was it for Colorado State, which couldn't handle Purdue's pressure. The Boilermakers were all around the floor, making shots and then stealing the ball at the other end.
By the time Colorado State scored another field goal, a three-pointer from Johnson with 1:53 left. Purdue led 69-60.