SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Courtney Vandersloot had 29 points, seven assists and seven steals, Janelle Bekkering scored eight of her 15 points in the final 4:01 and No. 11 seed Gonzaga advanced to the Spokane Regional final with a 76-69 win over Louisville on Saturday night.
Playing less than two miles from the school’s campus, the Bulldogs sent the blood pressure rising for the 10,000 or so hometown fans in attendance after nearly squandering all of a 20-point second half lead. But Gonzaga scored 10 of the final 17 points after Louisville had pulled within 65-62.
Gonzaga (31-4) became the lowest seed in NCAA history to reach the Elite Eight. They will play the winner of top-seeded Stanford and No. 5 seed North Carolina in the regional final on Monday night.
Shoni Schimmel led Louisville (22-13) with 18 points, but didn’t find her shot until midway through the second half, missing 12 of her first 13 shots.
