From the NCAA website:

It’s no secret that one of the goals for those who administer the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship is to increase attendance at preliminary-round sites.

The 2008 tournament was a step in the right direction, as 25,497 more fans attended first- and second-round games this year than in 2007, an increase of 22 percent.

Total attendance for the tournament was 236,464, an 18 percent increase from the 199,932 fans who attended the event in 2007.