LSU Falls in Final to Tennessee

Tennessee defeated top-ranked Louisiana State, 67-65, Sunday at Greenville, S.C., for its first Southeastern Conference tournament title in five years, and Coach Pat Summitt moved to within a victory of Dean Smith’s record with her 878th win.

Shyra Ely’s layup with 34.1 seconds left gave the Lady Vols a 66-65 lead. The Tigers (29-2) had the play they wanted on their next possession, but a wide-open Sylvia Fowles couldn’t handle Temeka Johnson’s pass under the basket.

Alexis Hornbuckle grabbed the loose ball for No. 5 Tennessee (26-4) and made a free throw for a 67-65 lead.

Scholanda Hoston missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer, ending LSU’s 16-game winning streak -- and possibly its hope for the top overall seeding in the NCAA tournament.

No. 15 Minnesota 66, No. 3 Ohio State 63 -- Janel McCarville scored the Gophers’ last four points in regulation then teamed with Jamie Broback to score the team’s first eight points in overtime, leading Minnesota (24-6) past the Buckeyes (28-4) in the Big Ten tournament semifinals at Indianapolis.

No. 4 North Carolina 78, Virginia 72 -- Ivory Latta scored 32 points, including a spinning jump shot with 34 seconds left that gave the Tar Heels (26-3) the lead for good over the Cavaliers (20-10) in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament at Greensboro, N.C.

No. 6 Duke 74, No. 25 Maryland 44 -- The Blue Devils (28-3) ran their win streak in ACC tournament games to 17 and improved to 19-0 at the Greensboro Coliseum.

The Terrapins (21-9) scored only 11 points in the first half -- the lowest half total in ACC tournament history. They missed 19 of their first 22 shots in the first half and went over 11 minutes without a field goal while falling behind, 33-11.

No. 8 Michigan State 83, No. 23 Penn State 76 -- After the Nittany Lions closed to within one point, at 66-65, with 7:29 left in the Big Ten tournament semifinal, the Spartans (27-3) went on a 7-0 run. The Nittany Lions (19-10) didn’t get closer than four points the rest of the game.

No. 9 Rutgers 69, St. John’s 45 -- The Scarlet Knights (24-5) routed the Red Storm (19-10) at Hartford, Conn., to advance to the semifinals of the Big East Conference tournament at Hartford, Conn.

Rutgers, the regular-season conference champion, has been holding opponents to an average of 50.5 points a game.

The Scarlet Knights produced 11 steals, five blocks and 20 points off 23 Red Storm turnovers.

No. 10 Notre Dame 70, West Virginia 59 -- Jacqueline Batteast scored seven consecutive points during a late second-half run to lead the Fighting Irish (26-4) past the Mountaineers (17-12) in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

No. 14 Connecticut 82, Syracuse 56 -- The Huskies (21-7), who entered the Big East tournament without at least a share of the regular-season title for the first time in 12 years, routed the Orange (13-16). They led, 45-27, at the break and opened the second half with a 15-2 run.

No. 16 Temple 64, Xavier 61 -- The Owls (26-3), who extended their winning streak to 23 games, advanced to the final of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament at Washington. They will play George Washington, which advanced with a 63-44 win over Richmond.

Villanova 41, No. 22 Boston College 37 -- The losing Eagles (19-9) set a dubious mark when they scored a Big East tournament-record low nine points on four-for-20 shooting in the first half. The Wildcats (19-10) led, 23-9, at halftime.

OTHER GAMES

Texas Christian 60, Louisville 41 -- The Horned Frogs (23-9) held the Cardinals (23-8) to three points over the last 7:32 at Charlotte, N.C., to win the Conference USA tournament and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

Canisius 60, Marist 59 -- Becky Zak made two free throws with 5.3 seconds left at Buffalo, N.Y., to give the Golden Griffins (21-9) the victory in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship and their first NCAA tournament berth.