NEW ORLEANS — North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell couldn't bring herself to belabor her team's 25 turnovers, double-digit rebounding deficit or bumbling first half.

The Tar Heels had shown too much grit, too much poise in the face of adversity, to be cut down by their own coach.

LaToya Pringle had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and North Carolina climbed out of an 18-point hole in a 78-74 victory over fourth-seeded Louisville yesterday, keeping alive the top-seeded Tar Heels' bid for a third straight trip to the Final Four.

"When you look at those numbers and you still won, I see that as a positive, because I don't think we're going to play like that again," Hatchell said. "Those kids had so much heart. It's tough, and we had to rise to the occasion."

The victory extended the Tar Heels' winning streak to 16 and placed them in the regional final tomorrow night against LSU, which beat Oklahoma State, 67-52.

Louisville star Angel McCoughtry finished with 35 points and 13 rebounds, but was unable to dominate in the second half as she had in the first, when she scored 21 of her points.

"We believed the entire time that we could win this game," Louisville first-year coach Jeff Walz said. "We knew it was going to be a game of runs, so we were up 18 in the first half, but that wasn't something I felt comfortable with."

For good reason.

Louisville (26-10) led 48-37 after Chauntise Wright's basket inside opened scoring in the second half. But the Tar Heels (33-2) quickly turned the tide with an 11-1 run as the Tar Heels closed to 49-48. Several possessions later, Heather Claytor's 3-pointer tied it at 53.

Louisville went back ahead on a pair of baseline drives by McCoughtry before Jessica Breland scored six points during an 8-0 run that gave North Carolina its first lead since early in the first half, 61-57. Those baskets began a 20-6 run that gave the Tar Heels a 73-63 lead with 2:27 to go.

LSU 67, OKLAHOMA STATE 52

Once she had simmered down, LSU point guard Erica White sat in front of her locker and said she was embarrassed by the in-game shouting match she had with Oklahoma State star Andrea Riley.

LSU center Sylvia Fowles then half-jokingly accused the 5-foot-3 White of having something akin to a Napoleon complex.

"It's a little person's syndrome," the 6-6 Fowles said, chuckling. "Nobody can show her up without her wanting to do it better. ... That's what we love about her. She brings the fire. She brings the energy. That's what makes us a great team."

White scored 18 points and helped orchestrate a stifling defensive effort yesterday as the second-seeded Lady Tigers (30-5) rolled over the third-seeded Cowgirls (27-8).

The two banged constantly and neither gave in, with Riley appearing to take a swipe at White's head at one point in the second half, though no foul was called.

"I definitely thought I got hit out there, I'm not going to lie," White said. "But at this level, people just want to win. I don't necessarily think it's personal. I think everyone just wants to win that bad."

Riley wound up draining six 3-pointers and finished with 26 points for Oklahoma State, but missed 19 of her 28 shots.

SPOKANE REGIONAL

At Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash.

MARYLAND 80, VANDERBILT 66

After lackluster efforts in the first two rounds, Maryland finally looked like a No. 1-seed.

Crystal Langhorne scored 28 points and Maryland's defense swarmed Vanderbilt in a convincing 80-66 win.

Two years removed from their national title, the Terrapins are one win away from a return to the Final Four. Maryland will face Stanford in tomorrow night's regional final. It will be the sixth regional championship game for the Terrapins.

And while Maryland's offense was again a model of efficiency — shooting 51 percent and getting 14 assists on 29 baskets — it was a concerted effort at the defensive end that finally made the Terrapins (33-3) look like championship contenders.

"We wanted to show our defense," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "We wanted to come out and play inspired for the first 20 minutes."

Christina Wirth, held scoreless for the first 15 1/2 minutes, finished with 13 points and Jessica Mooney added 11 for fourth-seeded Vandy (24-9).

STANFORD 72, PITTSBURGH 53

For once, it wasn't easy for Candice Wiggins and Stanford.

Then again, against rugged Pittsburgh it never is.

Jayne Appel scored 22 points to bail out roughed-up teammate Wiggins and lead second-seeded Stanford over a tough Panthers squad last night.

Kayla Pedersen added 10 points and 15 rebounds for Stanford (33-3), which has won 21 straight.

"Our team really had to battle," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "It wasn't pretty. It was a very physical game, but I am proud of how our team stepped up."

Shavonte Zellous scored 22 points for sixth-seed Pitt (24-11), which trailed by one with 8 1/2 minutes left before Stanford pulled away.