D6 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, MARCH 27 , 2022
REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
MONDAY
Louisville (28-4) vs. Michigan (25-6), 9
SPOKANE REGION
FIRST ROUND
MARCH 18
IN STANFORD, CALIF.
Kansas 77, Georgia Tech 58
Stanford 78, Montana State 37
IN COLLEGE PARK
Florida Gulf Coast 84, Virginia Tech 81
Maryland 102, Delaware 71
IN AUSTIN
Utah 92, Arkansas 69
Texas 70, Fairfield 52
MARCH 19
IN BATON ROUGE
Ohio State 63, Missouri State 56
LSU 83, Jackson State 77
SECOND ROUND
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
IN STANFORD, CALIF.
Stanford 91, Kansas 65
IN COLLEGE PARK
Maryland 89, F lorida Gulf Coast 65
IN AUSTIN
Texas 78, Utah 56
MONDAY'S RESULT
IN BATON ROUGE
Ohio State 79, LSU 64
REGION SEMIFINALS
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
IN SPOKANE, WASH.
Texas 66, Ohio State 63
Stanford 7 2, M aryland 66
REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
SUNDAY
Stanford (31-3) vs. Texas (29-6), 9
BRIDGEPORT REGION
FIRST ROUND
MARCH 19
IN RALEIGH, N.C.
Kansas State 50, Washington State 40
North Carolina State 96, Longwood 68
IN NORMAN, OKLA.
Notre Dame 89, Massachusetts 78
Oklahoma 78, IUPUI 72
IN BLOOMINGTON, IND.
Indiana 85, Charlotte 51
Princeton 69, Kentucky 62
IN HARTFORD, CONN.
Connecticut 83, Mercer 38
Central Florida 69, Florida 52
SECOND ROUND
MONDAY'S RESULTS
IN RALEIGH, N.C.
North Carolina State 89, Kansas State 57
IN NORMAN, OKLA.
N otre Dame 108, Oklahoma 64
IN BLOOMINGTON, IND.
Indiana 56, Princeton 55
IN HARTFORD, CONN.
Connecticut 52, Central Florida 47
REGION SEMIFINALS
SATURDAY
IN BRIDGEPORT, CONN.
N.C. State 66, Notre Dame 63
Connecticut 75, Indiana 58
REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
MONDAY
Connecticut (28-5) vs. N.C. State (32-3), 7
FINAL FOUR
IN MINNEAPOLIS
FRIDAY, APRIL 1
Greensboro Region vs. Wichita Region, TBA
Spokane Region vs. Bridgeport Region, TBA
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
SUNDAY, APRIL 3
Semifinal winners, TBANCAA women’s tournament
FIRST FOUR
MARCH 16
IN COLUMBIA, S.C.
Howard 55, Incarnate Word 51
IN AMES, IOWA
Dayton 88, DePaul 57
MARCH 17
IN RALEIGH, N.C.
Longwood 74, Mount St. Mary’s 70
IN BATON ROUGE
Missouri State 6 1, Florida State 50
GREENSBORO REGION
FIRST ROUND
MARCH 18
IN COLUMBIA, S.C.
Miami 78, South Florida 66
South Carolina 79, Howard 21
IN AMES, IOWA
Georgia 70, Dayton 54
Iowa State 78, Texas Arlington 71
IN IOWA CITY
Creighton 84, Colorado 74
Iowa 98, Illinois State 58
MARCH 19
IN TUCSON
North Carolina 79, Stephen F. Austin 66
Arizona 72, UNLV 66
SECOND ROUND
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
IN COLUMBIA, S.C.
South Carolina 49, Miami 33
IN AMES, IOWA
Iowa State 67, Georgia 44
IN IOWA CITY
Creighton 64, Iowa 62
MONDAY'S RESULT
IN TUCSON
North Carolina 63, Arizona 45
REGION SEMIFINALS
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
IN GREENSBORO, N.C.
South Carolina 69, N orth Carolina 61
Creighton 76, I owa State 68
REGION CHAMPIONSHIP
SUNDAY
South Carolina (32-2) vs. Creighton (23-9), 7
WICHITA REGION
FIRST ROUND
MARCH 18
IN LOUISVILLE
Gonzaga 68, Nebraska 55
Louisville 83, Albany 51
IN WACO, TEX.
South Dakota 75, Mississippi 61
Baylor 89, Hawaii 49
MARCH 19
IN KNOXVILLE, TENN.
Tennessee 80, Buffalo 67
Belmont 73, Oregon 70 (2OT)
IN ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Villanova 61, BYU 57
Michigan 74, American 39
SECOND ROUND
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
IN LOUISVILLE
Louisville 68, Gonzaga 59
IN WACO, TEX.
South Dakota 61, Baylor 47
MONDAY'S RESULTS
IN KNOXVILLE, TENN.
Tennessee 70, Belmont 67
IN ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Michigan 64, Villanova 49
REGION SEMIFINALS
SATURDAY
IN WICHITA
Louisville 76, Tennessee 64
Michigan 52, South Dakota 49
SCHEDULE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Naz Hillmon had 17 points and
10 rebounds and Laila Phelia
scored the go-ahead layup in the
final minute for No. 3 Michigan,
which beat No. 10 seed South
Dakota, 52-49, on Saturday night
to reach the Elite Eight for the
first time.
Phelia scored 14 points and
Leigha Brown added 10 for the
Wolverines (25-6).
Michigan will play No. 1 seed
Louisville on Monday with a trip
to the Final Four at stake.
South Dakota (29-6) was trying
to become just the fifth double-
digit seed to reach the Elite Eight
but fell short. Hannah Sjerven
had 17 points and eight rebounds
before fouling out, while Chloe
Lamb, the Summit League player
of the year who averaged 16 points
per game, was held to just six
points.
With the crowd overwhelming-
ly on their side, the Coyotes held
the Wolverines without a field
goal for 3:40 to start the game and
led for much of the first half.
Back-to-back three-pointers by
Grace Larkins put the Coyotes
ahead 25-23 in the second quar-
ter, and they led 26-24 at t he break
thanks to 11 points from Sjerven.
Phelia, who had averaged just
under nine points per game for
the season, scored 12 in the first
half to keep Michigan in the
game.
Michigan took a 39-38 lead into
the fourth quarter, with Hillmon
scoring nine points in the third.
A midrange jumper by Lamb
rattled in to tie the game at 48
with 48.5 seconds remaining.
Phelia made a layup with
22 seconds remaining, and Brown
later made two free throws to put
the Wolverines up by four.
South Dakota’s Maddie Krull
made the first of two free throws
to cut Michigan’s lead to 52-49
with 7.5 seconds left. But she
missed the second free throw, and
there was a scramble for the ballbefore it went out of bounds. It
wasn’t immediately clear who the
ball last touched, but South Dako-
ta got it after the referees’ review.
The Coyotes couldn’t get a
clean look, with Kyah Watson
missing a three as time expired.
l LOUISVILLE 76, TENNES-
SEE 64: Hailey Van Lith and
Emily Engstler knew the Cardi-
nals had allowed far too many
leads to slip away in the fourth
quarter this season, including the
disheartening loss to Miami in the
quarterfinals of the ACC tourna-
ment.
Van Lith and Engstler refused
to let it happen again in the NCAA
tournament.
Van Lith poured in 23 points,
had six assists and was solid at t he
foul stripe down the stretch while
Emily Engstler had 20 points and
10 rebounds to help top-seeded
Louisville withstand the Lady
Vols’ frantic comeback for a victo-
ry that sent Coach Jeff Walz’s
bunch back to the Elite Eight for
the fourth straight time.Kianna Smith also had
12 points for the Cardinals (28-4),
whose 15-point lead was whittled
to two in the fourth quarter before
they pulled away.
“We just kept reminding each
other that as long as we get stops
and rebounds, we’ll be up no mat-
ter what,” Van Lith said, “no mat-
ter if we score or not. We w ere able
to execute that. All of our players
stepped up and got rebounds and
made good plays on defense and
we were able to pull away.”
The Cardinals have become
one of the nation’s dominant
women’s programs under Walz —
much like the Lady Vols were for
so many years under Pat Summitt
— but they are still chasing their
first national championship.
Rae Burrell led No. 4 seed Te n-
nessee (25-9) with 22 points, but
she didn’t get a whole lot of help
from the rest of her team, which
had 18 turnovers and was 5 for 21
from beyond the arc. Jordan
Walker had 10 points but also had
five turnovers.The Cardinals asserted control
midway through the first quarter,
taking advantage of too many un-
forced errors by the Lady Vols.
Kaiya Wynn’s turnover led to Van
Lith’s easy transition layup, then
Wynn missed a pair of foul shots
and Burrell missed an open three-
pointer from the corner in the
waning minutes that allowed
Louisville to stretch the lead.
The Lady Vols finally got going
on offense out of the halftime
break, with Burrell and Te ss Dar-
by as the catalysts. Darby was
scoreless in the first half but hit
three three-pointers in the third
quarter, and Burrell also had nine
points over that stretch, including
a three that barely beat the buzzer
to get the Lady Vols within 55-50
heading to the fourth.
The turnovers finally did them
in, though.
Te nnessee had closed within
55-53 on Burrell’s t hree-point play
to begin the fourth quarter but
turned it over on three straight
trips down floor.WOMEN’S WICHITA REGION SEMIFINALS
Wolverines advance to program’s first Elite EightANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES
N az Hillmon, right, scored 17 points for Michigan as the Wolverines held off South Dakota’s upset bid.MICHIGAN 52,
SOUTH DAKOTA 49
BY STEVEN GOFF
orlando — The call went out to
Shaq Moore in Spain on Wednes-
day: Stand by, U.S. men’s national
soccer team Coach Gregg Berhal-
ter said, we might need you.
The situation at right back was
already precarious because of an
injury to first-string Sergiño Dest
and a yellow-card warning to sec-
ond choice DeAndre Yedlin. Then,
on the eve of the World Cup qualifi-
er against Mexico, third pick Reg-
gie Cannon received an inconclu-
sive coronavirus test.
When the subsequent test came
back positive, Moore scrambled to
the airport in the Canary Islands,
where he plays for second-division
Te nerife. Via Madrid and Chicago,
he arrived in central Florida in
time to watch on TV as his U.S.
teammates battled to a 0-0 d raw in
Mexico and enhanced their World
Cup chances.
With Yedlin receiving another
yellow card in that match, result-
ing in a one-game ban, Moore
might start here Sunday against
Panama. A U.S. victory, combined
with a Costa Rica draw o r defeat in
El Salvador, would c linch a tourna-
ment berth in Qatar this Novem-
ber.
Moore’s arrival is Berhalter’s
latest adjustment to a roster miss-
ing five regulars because of injury
and two because of yellow-card
suspensions.
It also epitomized the efforts
not only to improve the roster but
expand the player pool since the
program’s epic failure to qualify
for the 2018 World Cup. On short
notice, Berhalter felt comfortable
tabbing Moore, the fourth-string
right b ack who played a key role in
the Gold Cup championship last
summer. He also could have opted
for Joe Scally, who plays in the
German Bundesliga.
Since Berhalter took the job in
late 2018, 88 players have made
game appearances.
“It’s given the players confi-
dence,” Berhalter said, “but it’s
also given the coaching staff confi-
dence t hat we c an call on a guy like
Shaq at the last minute and be
completely comfortable with how
he is going to perform.”
The player pool is being tested
in this final three-game window.
Dest, goalkeeper Matt Turner, de-
fender Chris Richards, midfielder
Weston McKennie and wing Bren-
den Aaronson are not on the ros-
ter, and Yedlin and forward Tim
Weah crossed the yellow-card
threshold Thursday.
Aside from having to replace
those suspended players for Sun-
day’s match at sold-out Exploria
Stadium, Berhalter will take into
account fitness levels after the
team played just 7 2 hours earlier —
and at a ltitude.
In a news conference Saturday,
Berhalter said he has not forgotten
what former U.S. coach Bruce Are-
na told him.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned
— and Bruce hammered this home
for me — is you are never going to
have your best team,” Berhalter
said. “You are always going to be
missing players. As soon as I came
to terms with that, we’re much
more peaceful about it.”
After taking 2019 and 2020 to
implement young players, Berhal-
ter used two Concacaf tourna-
ments last summer to provide
high-pressure e xperience. He u sed
a stronger, European-based roster
for the semifinals and final of the
Nations League and a greener,
MLS-centric group for the three-
week Gold Cup. The Americans
won both, beating Mexico in each
final.
In 12 qualifiers starting in Sep-
tember, 38 players have made ap-
pearances.
“It’s been a l ong road,” goalkeep-
er Zack Steffen said. “Qualifying is
a lot o f games and different camps.
Guys have injuries, and different
guys are called in all the time. Wehave a very good camaraderie in
terms of whoever gets called steps
up and does their job.”
Steffen (Manchester City) is
Berhalter’s top goalkeeper, but be-
cause of injuries a nd a positive test
result, he yielded to Turner in e ight
qualifiers. Turner, a New England
Revolution standout who’s h eaded
to Arsenal this summer, earned
the No. 2 spot with his perform-
ance in the Gold Cup. He, Moore
and center back Miles Robinson
were voted to the tournament’s
Best XI.
Moore, who was last called up in
October, was summoned to Orlan-
do to replace Cannon and add
depth. But when Yedlin received
his yellow card Thursday, Moore
knew he might start Sunday.
“It was a bit hectic, having to
travel all across the world to get
here on time,” he said. “I was
watching the [Mexico] game, and
the commentators were mention-
ing how if [Yedlin] gets another
yellow card, he won’t be [eligible]
for the next game. What a coinci-
dence that actually happened. I
am trying to be ready and take full
advantage of the opportunity.”
Dest’s injury the same day the
roster was announced (March 17)
opened a roster slot for George
Bello, a left b ack who w as a lso p art
of the Gold Cup campaign. When
Aaronson withdrew, Berhalter felt
comfortable enough with his for-wards that he didn’t name a re-
placement. Passed over were play-
ers from the Premier League (Josh
Sargent) and French Ligue 1 (Kon-
rad de la Fuente).
Berhalter’s decision since last
fall not to recall Germany-based
John Brooks, the program’s most
experienced center back, has gen-
erated criticism. But Richards,
Robinson and Walker Zimmer-
man have handled their roles, and
in the second half Thursday, de-
fenders Aaron Long and Erik
Palmer-Brown made their qualify-
ing debuts.
The Americans have conceded
multiple goals in one qualifier (at
first-place Canada) and posted
shutouts in three of their past four.
Berhalter’s use of several strik-
ers has not resulted in a clear-cut
starter. Ricardo Pepi, 19, has made
the most starts (seven) but hasn’t
scored s ince October. Struggling at
Norwich City, Sargent hasn’t been
recalled since September. Jordan
Pefok and Gyasi Zardes haven’t
provided answers.
Jesús Ferreira, 21, might make
his s econd qualifying start Sunday.
“We had to be patient,” Berhalter
said about expanding the player
pool. “So it was that gradual nur-
turing of our young players and
getting them into the program.”U.S. men put their depth to the testWith World Cup berth within reach, Americans use expanded player pool to their benefitHECTOR VIVAS/GETTY IMAGES
C oach Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. squad could clinch a World Cup berth against Panama on Sunday.Panama at United States
Today, 7 p.m., Fox Sports 1ASSOCIATED PRESS
Christian Eriksen scored mo-
ments after entering as a substi-
tute for Denmark against the
Netherlands on Saturday to make
a dream return in his first inter-
national match since his cardiac
arrest during the European
Championship in June.
The Netherlands won the wide-
open match, 4-2, but the result of
the friendly seemed almost irrel-
evant to the crowd at the Amster-
dam stadium where Eriksen first
rose to prominence for Ajax.
“To be back here is always beau-
tiful,” Eriksen, speaking Dutch,
told Dutch broadcaster NOS. “I
had many beautiful years here.”
He said he still thinks often of
the night he collapsed in Copen-
hagen against Finland.
“It’s part of me. It’s part of the
world,” he said.
Denmark Coach Kasper Hjul-
mand enjoyed the comeback, too.
“It’s always a pleasure to see
Christian Eriksen play football,”
he said.
Eriksen, fitted with an implant-
able cardioverter defibrillator, got
a pat on the back from Hjulmand,
a handshake from Memphis De-
pay and a standing ovation from
much of Johan Cruyff Arena as he
trotted onto the pitch to make his
return to international competi-
tion at t he start of the second half.
Just over two minutes later
Eriksen got on the score sheet,
firing home a powerful shot to cut
the Dutch lead to 3-2 after a
thrilling first half.
“I had goose bumps,” Nether-
lands defender Matthijs de Ligt
said. “It’s great that he’s back, and
how he scored and hit the post
today showed his absolute class.”
The Dutch dominated before
the break with goals from Steven
Bergwijn, Nathan Ake and Depay.
Eriksen’s powerful shot to cut
the lead was his 37th internation-
al goal, matching Denmark great
Michael Laudrup....
Spain received a warm wel-
come in its return to Catalonia
and responded by beating Alba-
nia, 2-1, in its first match in Barce-
lona in 18 years.
Dani Olmo scored a 90th-min-
ute winner to give La Roja the
victory in front of more than35,000 packing Espanyol’s RCDE
Stadium.
Spain’s last game in Barcelona
in 2004 was a win against Peru in
a friendly at Montjuic Olympic
Stadium. Any chance of playing
there earlier than Saturday was
delayed in 2017 when Catalan se-
cessionists failed to pull off a
breakaway attempt from Spain,
igniting a deep political crisis in
the country. Spain’s record in the
Catalan city is 10 wins, five draws
and three losses.
Ferran To rres, who plays for
Barcelona, opened the scoring
from inside the area in the
75th minute....
Harry Kane tied Bobby Charl-
ton for second place on the all-
time England men’s scoring chart
by slotting a penalty to seal a 2-1
victory against Switzerland in a
friendly in London.
The captain’s 49th goal in
69 appearances for his country
leaves him only four from
e qualing the retired Wayne
Rooney.
By converting from the spot
after Steven Zuber handled, Kane
completed a turnaround in a
game that kick-started the build-
up to the World Cup in November
for both teams.
A crowd of 78,881 saw England
get off to a bad start when Breel
Embolo headed Switzerland in
front in the 22nd minute, but
Luke Shaw got England level with
a goal in first-half stoppage time.
l MLS: Karol Swiderski’s two
goals and Kristijan Kahlina’s six
saves lifted Charlotte FC to a 2-0
win over visiting FC Cincinnati.
Swiderski scored his first goal
for Charlotte in the sixth minute,
assisted by Benjamin Bender. He
added a goal in the 55th min-
ute....
Johnny Russell scored the deci-
sive goal as Sporting Kansas City
earned a 1-0 win over Real Salt
Lake in Kansas City, Kan.
l NWSL: OL Reign rolled to a
3-1 win over Angel City FC in a
Challenge Cup game in Fullerton,
Calif.
Veronica Lasko opened the
scoring for OL Reign in the
12th minute, and Alana Cook add-
ed a second five minutes later.
Tyler Lussi had Angel City’s lone
goal in the 65th minute....
Merritt Mathias scored from
the penalty spot in the 61st min-
ute to give the North Carolina
Courage a 1-0 win over the Orlan-
do Pride in Cary, N.C.SOCCER ROUNDUP
Eriksen scores minutesinto return for Denmark