by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
The tears rolling down the face of senior Utah Ute Shona Thorburn said it all in the postgame press conference.
The No. 5-seeded Utes were one free throw away from the first Final Four berth in the program's history, but Thorburn went 1-for-2 at the line with 7.8 seconds left to tie the game at 63 in the Elite Eight at The Pit. No. 2-seeded Maryland's Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman both missed their shots to win it for the Terrapins on the ensuing possession at the end of regulation.
Maryland needed only five minutes of overtime to beat Utah 75-65 and crush any dreams the Utes had of going to Boston as one of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament.
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A choked-up Thorburn, who had made her first four free throws before the miss at the end, lost her voice and bowed her head when asked about her last trip to the free-throw line for the Utes.
"I had the two biggest free throws of my life," Thorburn said. "I was trying not to think about it as I was going through my routine, but it crossed my mind that if I made these two free throws, we're into the Final Four."
The Terrapins battled through a stomach flu that head coach Brenda Frese said affected everyone affiliated with the team, from the players and her to the band and the cheerleaders.
The Utes failed to make a field goal in overtime, as Maryland sophomore Laura Harper scored two layups in the first 47 seconds of overtime and then chipped in two more free throws with 50 seconds left to put the Terrapins up by seven and close the door on Utah.
"Our confidence in overtime is out of this world," Harper said.
And that confidence is warranted with the Terrapins' 4-0 record in overtime this year, including a win over No. 1 North Carolina to give the Tar Heels their only loss of the season.
Utah senior and All-American Kim Smith redeemed her 0-for-6 performance in the first half with 16 straight points in the second on 6-of-6 shooting from the field to go along with two free throws. She gave the Utes their last lead of the game, 36-34, with 16:58 left in the game. Another Utah player didn't score in the second half until the 10-minute mark.
Smith's coming-out party was crashed by Maryland sophomore Kristi Toliver, though, when the Terrapin hit four threes and two jumpers in the same time span. She also started the second half 6-of-6 before missing her first shot with 8:45 left in the game.
"Somebody needed to step up offensively, and since I was in the flow of things, I kind of took on that job," Toliver said.
Player of the Year candidate and sophomore Crystal Langhorne finished the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Maryland, while Toliver ended with 28 points and six assists. Thorburn, who left four minutes before the end of the first half with a sprained ankle, came back in the second and went 2-of-15 from the floor for 10 points in the game. Smith finished with 17 points and 18 rebounds.
Maryland faces the winner of No. 1-seed North Carolina and No. 2-seed Tennessee in the Final Four on April 2.
"We're not guaranteed a certain bracket next year," Toliver said. "We could have fluke injuries, you never know. We have to play every game like it's our last."
