The No. 2 seed Maryland women's basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2012 Women's NCAA Tournament on Monday night with a 72-68 win over the No. 7 seed Louisville Cardinals. The Cards kept it close for the full 40 minutes on the Terps' home court but Maryland finished the game on a 13-4 run over the final five minutes to close it out. The Terps trailed by as many nine at the Comcast Center. With the Cardinals down three with the ball and 15 seconds remaining, they went for the tie but the Terps defended it perfectly at the arc and forced a heave that was well short and never drew iron.
Laurin Mincy picked up right where she left off after a brilliant first half and finished with a team-high 24 points. Mincy was fantastic all evening, adding seven boards and scoring her 24 points on just 10 attempts from the floor. She got consistent penetration and hit 10 of 13 free-throws. On the interior, Tianna Hawkins put in an impressive double-double effort with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Brenda Freese's club now heads to Raleigh where they will face the winner of tonight's Texas A&M and Arkansas game.
Follow Maryland's tournament run in this StoryStream. For more Maryland coverage, visitTestudo Times. For all things Louisville, visit Card Chronicle. Keep track of college basketball from all over the country with SB Nation's NCAA hoops hub.