Record rout by UConn leads to milestone win for Auriemma

Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma stands near the bench during the first half of a women's college basketball regional semifinal game against Texas in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Tim Roske) Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma stands near the bench during the first half of a women's college basketball regional semifinal game against Texas in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Tim Roske)

By Associated Press March 29, 2015 4 min read

A monumental comeback, a milestone win, and an Elite Eight party crasher highlighted the women’s basketball NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Saturday.

Now the field for the regional finals is set with seven of the top eight teams advancing and seventh-seed Dayton. The Flyers were almost joined by No. 11 seed Gonzaga in the next round before Tennessee pulled off an unbelievable comeback.

No team has more tournament wins then the Lady Vols, who needed overtime and a stunning rally to pull off their 120th NCAA victory. Down 17 with 6:34 to go, the Lady Vols shocked Gonzaga.

“No matter how many punches you throw at us, we continue to get up,” said Cierra Burdick, who scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Tennessee. Her four late free throws provided the winning points.

“We had to draw fouls late to win this game,” Burdick said. “Our free throws are what saved us.”