MTSU basketball stuns Louisville in third-biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history
Middle Tennessee State women's basketball is advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.
And the Lady Raiders did it in dramatic comeback fashion.
No. 11 seed MTSU overcame an 18-point first-half deficit Friday to defeat No. 6 Louisville 71-69 in the first round of the Albany Regional at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It's tied for the third-largest comeback victory in tournament history.
MTSU (30-4) will play defending national champion and No. 3 seed LSU (29-5) on Sunday (2 p.m. CT, ABC) in the second round.
MTSU overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to take a 51-50 lead after three quarters and then held Louisville (24-10) scoreless for 5:28 of the fourth quarter in building a 62-54 lead. Louisville cut it to two points with just under a minute left, but the Lady Raiders held on.
Jalynn Gregory, who scored a game-high 24 points, hit five free throws inside the final 40 seconds to seal the win.
The Lady Raiders had a huge third quarter, flipping the deficit to a one-point lead heading into the fourth. Graduate guard Savannah Wheeler, the Conference USA Player of the Year, was held to just two points in the first half, but scored 12 in the third quarter. She finished with 22 points.
MTSU had a 10-4 run to start the third, thanks to 3-pointers by Wheeler and Gregory, cutting the deficit to 42-37. The Lady Raiders also forced a fourth foul on Louisville forward Olivia Cochran with a little less than six minutes left in the third, forcing her to the bench.
After trailing by 18 midway through the second quarter, MTSU finished the half on a 7-0 run make it 38-27. It shot just 10 of 30 in the half and Wheeler didn't score her first points until just over a minute remained in the second quarter.
MTSU struggled early, committing six turnovers in the first quarter and shooting just 4 of 14 from the field (1 of 4 from 3) as Louisville went on a 12-0 run and finished the last minute of the quarter with a 3-pointer, a steal and a layup at the buzzer to take a 28-12 advantage.
The Cardinals, not known for their outside shooting, was 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the quarter.
MTSU, which was also a No. 11 seed in last season's NCAA tournament, lost to Colorado 82-60 in the first round and hasn't reached the round of 32 since 2007.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU vs Louisville in March Madness: Raiders advance in comeback win