Oklahoma thumps Kentucky to go to Final Four

3/30/2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS

KANSAS CITY — Nyeshia Stevenson scored 31 points and Oklahoma blew past fourth-seeded Kentucky 88-68 on Tuesday night to earn its second straight trip to the Final Four.

Amanda Thompson added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the third-seeded Sooners (27-10), who'll face Stanford on Sunday in San Antonio.

The Wildcats stormed out to a 17-4 lead, only to watch as the Sooners rallied to go ahead 43-39 by halftime. Oklahoma opened the second half on a 15-5 run, then scored 11 straight points to jump ahead 69-50 with 6:30 left.

Victoria Dunlap had 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead Kentucky (28-8), which was seeking its first trip to the Final Four. The Wildcats stunned top-seeded Nebraska to reach their first regional final since 1982, but they couldn't complete the Big 12 sweep in Kansas City.