The other 4-5 games last night had the close, competitive, feel of conference championships-- the best one involved longtime in-state rivals, playing in their home state, and former national powers too. You might see this one on some highlight reels...

Old Dominion led early, and kept their lead for almost the whole second half; Virginia scorer Monica Wright fouled out.

But Lyndra Littles kept her Cavs in the game, and UVA's stronger, taller players wore the Monarchs down: ODU led by three, with time almost up, when the Cavaliers fed the post... and missed, and got the O-board, and missed again... and again.. by my count, six offensive rebounds took place in the closing seconds before Aisha Mohammed made the layup and got the and-one.

Why did ODU contest so hard? Instinct, perhaps. Would Mohammed, a 60% free throw shooter, make the one point that would send her team to OT? She did.

Five minutes later, though, the rivals tied things up again: 85-85 with a few seconds left, and a fierce defensive possession on UVA's part that left ODU entirely frustrated in their attempts to penetrate.

Instead, there was Jazzmin Walters, a 5'2" guard who's not even the team's major three-point threat: she got the ball several feet past the arc, shot fast, and canned it. "Once I got the ball, I just let it fly," she said. And the arena-- well, over half the arena (it looked full)-- rejoiced: her Monarchs are headed to the Sweet Sixteen.