Irish celebrate their first regional semifinal appearance since '04 in NCAA women's tourney

3/26/2008 2:51 PM

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Muffet McGraw has been to the Final Four and won a national championship. But she might never enjoy a celebration more than the one that broke out Tuesday night.

After her players ran onto the court following an overtime win over Oklahoma, they hugged, did their Irish jig and then walked into the postgame news conference with championship grins.

``I am so proud of our seniors,'' McGraw said. ``Our whole team, especially our seniors, just refused to lose. They absolutely refused to go home without a victory.''

No current Notre Dame player has experienced anything quite like this.

The Irish rallied from eight points down in the final 8 minutes of regulation and came back from a five-point deficit in the final 3 minutes of overtime to produce a 79-75 win.

More than once in the second half, the Irish season appeared all but over as 2007 national player of the year Courtney Paris seemed unstoppable inside.

Instead, Notre Dame fought back and found a way to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2004. And it was that goal that never allowed the Irish to quit, even if everyone else inside Mackey Arena thought it was over.

``We had our minds set on going to the Sweet 16,'' senior guard Charel Allen said. ``We haven't been there as a senior class. We just believed we would get there somehow or some way, and we did.''

Allen is the biggest reason Notre Dame (25-8) has a ticket to Oklahoma City.

She scored a career-high 35 points, grabbed six rebounds, made all three of her 3-pointers and all 12 of her free throws. When the Irish needed a big play, Allen delivered. That included blocking Paris' shot, ripping the ball loose for a steal, clearing an outlet pass and going straight into the heart of Oklahoma's defense.

The reward is a showdown with top-seeded Tennessee on Sunday, a game that will prove even tougher. Notre Dame never has beaten the Lady Vols in 19 tries, including an 87-63 blowout at home in January.

That wasn't on the minds of Irish players or coaches dancing around West Lafayette.

Amid the remarkable comebacks, Allen's crucial plays and Notre Dame's ability to keep Paris from scoring in overtime, Notre Dame just wanted to savor the moment for a while.

``I think it gives you a little bit of a sense of urgency knowing your career is over, not just your season, but your career,'' McGraw said. ``Plus, they have the experience; they've been in a few NCAA tournaments. I think the experience and poise down the stretch really showed on both ends of the court.''

Seniority certainly had its advantages.

The Sooners' roster had nine freshmen and sophomores, three juniors and no seniors.

Notre Dame has four seniors, including Allen and guard Tulyah Gaines. It was Gaines' free throw that broke a 72-72 tie and sparked a 7-0 run that sealed the win.

Now, Notre Dame has to come up with new goals - such as stopping Candace Parker, one of this year's top candidates for national player of the year, and beating Tennessee for the first time.

``I'm just proud of where we are right now,'' McGraw said. ``I think she (Allen) knows that for us to win, we kind of have to put a lot on her shoulders.''