Associated Press
The ACC womenís tournament roundup …
GREENSBORO ó It appeared North Carolina would have a brief stay in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament considering how it closed the regular season with four straight losses.
Instead, the No. 19 Tar Heels are suddenly building momentum.
Laura Broomfield had 15 points and 11 rebounds to help North Carolina beat No. 14 Florida State 78-65 in Friday night’s quarterfinals, sending the Tar Heels into the semifinals for the 26th time in 34 years.
Italee Lucas added 13 points for the tournament’s No. 6 seed, which blew nearly all of a 17-point lead in the second half before pulling away late against the cold-shooting Seminoles.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Tar Heels (24-7) dominated this event, winning four straight championships from 2005-08 before Maryland and Duke won the past two years. Fifth-year senior Jessica Breland played on two of those title winners, while seniors Lucas and Cetera DeGraffenreid were freshmen on the last team to win one.
Last year, North Carolina lost in the first round to Maryland.
“We have a sense of urgency,” said Breland, who had 12 points. “We all don’t want to go home.î
No. 10 Miami 93, NCSU 85
Miami’s big lead slipped away. The ACC player of the year refused to let the victory escape.
Shenise Johnson had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and the 10th-ranked Hurricanes lost a 19-point lead before regrouping to beat North Carolina State 93-85 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Friday night.
Riquna Williams added 22 points for the second-seeded Hurricanes (27-3), who reached the ACC semifinals for the first time and earned just their second league tournament victory since coming in from the Big East before the 2004-05 season.
“We worked our butts off for two years, and we haven’t been able to come up with wins,” said Johnson, a junior. “We’re definitely more of a veteran team. The WNIT (championship game appearance) last year helped us, and we’re really just coming on now.”
Bonae Holston had 25 points and 11 rebounds for the 10th-seeded Wolfpack (14-17), who were trying to rally from a double-digit deficit for the second straight night. They tied it three times in the second half but never could regain the lead.
Georgia Tech 70, No. 13 Maryland 64.
Alex Montgomery scored 17 points, including a key three-point play down the stretch, to help Georgia Tech rally for a 70-64 victory over No. 13 Maryland in the Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament quarterfinals.
Sasha Goodlett tied a season high with 18 points for the Yellow Jackets (23-9), who advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year.
Tyaunna Marshall scored 16 points and Metra Walthour added 14 for Georgia Tech, which used a 21-3 run to rally from an 11-point deficit early in the second half.
Kim Rodgers scored 13 points to lead the Terrapins (23-7), who had the advantage after a 22-2 spurt that spanned from late in the first half until early in the second. Alyssa Thomas added 12 points for Maryland.