Greensboro, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Leticia Romero buried 10-of-16 shooting for a team-high 21 points as her second-seeded Florida State Seminoles hung on in the waning seconds to defeat the third-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils, 66-65, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum.
Adut Bulgak netted 15 points with seven rebounds, and Maegan Conwright chipped in with 11 points for Florida State (32-4), which moves on to the Elite Eight of the tournament and will square off against the top-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks Sunday. South Carolina escaped its contest against North Carolina Friday thanks to a layup with less than five seconds to play.
Katie Hempen scored a game-high 22 points to lead Arizona State (29-6), while Sophie Brunner contributed 11 points with eight rebounds. Promise Amukamara registered 10 points before she fouled out of the contest.
Both teams shot the ball well from the floor. Florida State was able to take a commanding 33-22 lead into the intermission, however, after shooting 53.6 percent from the floor in the opening half. Arizona State mustered a 40.9 field goal percentage in the period.
The Sun Devils turned the tide in the second half by connecting on 57.1 percent of their attempts from the floor. But in the end the Seminoles outlasted Arizona State thanks in part to forcing 23 ASU turnovers and a 34-22 advantage in points scored in the paint in the win.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.