Louisville

ST. LOUIS -Seldom in sports do things work out this way, perfectly as planned, from blueprint to the victory stand. But it does happen, sometimes three times. Things click, chemistry blends with talent, determination meets destiny and magical seasons supersede ambitious goals. The 2008-09 Connecticut women, driven by three players as gifted as any they've had, won it all Tuesday - every game, almost every minute and, ultimately, the national championship. "Now we can breathe," Renee Montgomery said.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An NCAA reprieve and tradition weren't enough to carry Louisville yesterday.The seventh-seeded Cardinals blew a halftime lead for only the third time this season and watched their chance for a meeting with Maryland disintegrate in a 62-58 upset loss to Creighton before 10,032 fans in the first round of the South Regional.Louisville (19-11) had a 40-27 advantage and the game in control with 16 minutes remaining when Bluejays coach Dana Altman pulled the master stroke, shifting into a zone press, then backing his team into a matchup defense after the Cardinals had crossed half court.

PoliceWestminster: An employee of Clair Construction in Louisville, Ky., told police Wednesday that someone damaged a vehicle and trailer and took property. Loss was estimated at $140.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Do not confuse Creighton with Cinderella.Cinderella teams do not beat both Iowa and Oklahoma State, major conference powers that are still playing in the NCAA tournament. Cinderella does not win the Missouri Valley Conference, which produced as many NCAA teams as the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference.Creighton wants to sell itself as the humble upstart in the second round of the South Regional, and No. 5 Maryland isn't buying. The Terps saw the Bluejays climb out of a 13-point hole and beat Louisville, and coach Gary Williams and company are prepared for a team that will keep coming at them today (2: 40 p.m.)

Maryland's basketball team received its third major setback in less than a month yesterday when Reece Gaines, a celebrated Wisconsin high school point guard, signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Louisville."

Ruth L. Wellschlager, 78, homemaker, volunteer, nurseRuth L. Wellschlager, a homemaker and former Severna Park resident, died Wednesday from complications of a stroke at Genesis Eldercare in Concord, N.H. She was 78.Mrs. Wellschlager, who had lived in Severna Park for 45 years, moved to Hopkinton, N.H., in 1985.She was a former member of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park and had volunteered with the Severna Park Health Center.The former Ruth Lundgren was born and raised in Sister Bay, Wis., where she graduated from high school.

Teams: Marshall (11-1) vs. Louisville (7-4)When: Tonight, 8.Where: Pontiac, Mich.TV: ESPN2.Line: Louisville by 3 1/2 .Series record: Louisville leads 16-9.Last meeting: 1987, Marshall won, 34-31.Career bowl records: Marshall 0-1; Louisville 3-1-1.Last bowl appearances: Marshall lost to Mississippi, 34-31, in 1997 Motor City Bowl; Louisville beat Michigan State, 18-7, in the 1993 Liberty Bowl.Coaches: Bob Pruett, third season at Marshall (36-4); John L. Smith, first season at Louisville (76-43 overall)

The headline on Sun Journal in yesterday's editions mischaracterized the volume of packages that comes through United Parcel Service's Louisville, Ky., hub. It handles about two-thirds of the company's express packages -- overnight and second-day delivery -- worldwide.The Sun regrets the errors.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- As the news anchors say good night and the lights go out in this horse racing hub along the Ohio River, a city within a city is just gearing up for its own rush hour, one that lasts through the night.

A year ago this afternoon, Monica Smith snuggled into a lounge chair on the M/S Dreamward's upper deck, shut her eyes and daydreamed about the week that had just passed: a wonderful cruise to Bermuda with her husband, Washington Bullets assistant coach Derek Smith, and their two children. As she woke, she spotted Derek nearby, conducting a basketball clinic.4 Her thought of that moment still brings a smile."As I looked at him," Monica said, "I said, 'My, I love him so much.' "But within hours, her family would be shattered.

Sitting on a brightly colored bedspread, covered with school buses, apples and letters of the alphabet, a father tucks his son in for the night.The little boy wants to know when he'll see his mother again.The scene is intimate -- despite the 10 other people in that small bedroom yesterday, with cameras and lights everywhere.But nobody watching the finished product of "Louisville" will know that.Nearly 30 people collaborated on shooting the short film this weekend, with a cast that includes Andre Braugher, and two locations portraying Louisville, Ky. -- Northeast Baltimore's Mayfield neighborhood and Randallstown in northwestern Baltimore County.

In the fall of 2004, Angel McCoughtry's parents weaved through Blue Ridge mountain roads as they took their daughter to her new life at the Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C. Their goal was for Angel - who begins her WNBA career Saturday when the Atlanta Dream plays host to the Indiana Fever - to immerse herself in schoolwork at the secluded prep school and become academically eligible to play college basketball the next year. But the 17-year-old found it hard not to focus on what she had left behind.

ST. LOUIS -Seldom in sports do things work out this way, perfectly as planned, from blueprint to the victory stand. But it does happen, sometimes three times. Things click, chemistry blends with talent, determination meets destiny and magical seasons supersede ambitious goals. The 2008-09 Connecticut women, driven by three players as gifted as any they've had, won it all Tuesday - every game, almost every minute and, ultimately, the national championship. "Now we can breathe," Renee Montgomery said.

ST. LOUIS -It is clear Louisville believes in itself, its coach and the righteousness of its quest for the impossible dream - a national title. The Cardinals call themselves "The Bad News Bears" and revel in their self-image as the ragamuffins of women's basketball. They've even suggested they are happy to have another shot to prove it to No. 1 Connecticut, which crushed them twice this season, on the grandest stage of all Tuesday. UConn coach Geno Auriemma has made mental notes. "We're playing a team that has a lot going for it right now, a team that, from what I've heard, really wants to play us," Auriemma said.

Connecticut (38-0) vs. Louisville (34-4) What: NCAA women's final When: 8:37 p.m. Where: St. Louis TV: ESPN Series history: Connecticut leads 7-1 Last meeting: Connecticut won, 75-36, in Big East tournament final March 10. Winning streaks: Connecticut: 38; Louisville: 5 WHAT TO WATCH Feeling confident: The Cardinals have had an incredible run in the tournament, defeating LSU in Baton Rouge in the second round, top seed Maryland in the Raleigh Regional...

Angel McCoughtry and Candyce Bingham remembered the crushing feeling they had in the locker room last year after Louisville blew a huge lead and lost in the NCAA tournament. This time, the Cardinals gathered at midcourt to celebrate with a few screams of joy after the horn. McCoughtry (St. Frances) had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Bingham sparked the decisive second-half run to help the Cardinals beat Baylor, 56-39, on Saturday, sending them to the first regional championship game in school history.

LOUISVILLE FORCED TO RALLY: : Top seed Louisville saw a 12-point lead turn into a four-point deficit in the second half against No. 9 seed Siena before Terrence Williams took over and sparked the Cardinals to a 79-72 victory. USC PUSHES MICHIGAN STATE:: It took a career-high 18 points from Travis Walton, a defensive specialist, for second seed Michigan State to get past 10th seed Southern California, 74-69. The game featured 16 ties and 14 lead changes. INSIDE-OUTSIDE COMBO LIFTS PITT:: DeJuan Blair's powerful inside game combined with Sam Young's shooting to get No. 1 seed Pittsburgh an 84-76 win over eighth seed Oklahoma State.

Emily Wymond Rush, a mother of four who loved people, died of end-stage dementia and metastatic breast cancer Jan. 3 at College Manor nursing home in Lutherville. The Phoenix resident was 83. A native of Louisville, Ky., she married William Bland Rush in 1946 after graduating from the University of Louisville. The Rushes moved to Maryland in 1950 and built a home in Phoenix in Baltimore County. "If she had a passion for anything, it was for people," Mr. Rush said. "Wherever she went, she just loved to make new friends."

Even a case of tired legs wasn't going to stop No. 9 Louisville. Freshman Samardo Samuels scored 15 points and Earl Clark added six points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the host Cardinals to a 78-56 victory over Lamar last night in the final game of the Marques Maybin Classic in Louisville, Ky. Louisville (5-1) won its third game in three days, though Lamar (6-3) made the Cardinals work for it. Louisville had won its previous two games in the round-robin tournament by a combined 75 points.

Western Kentucky found a way to stop Samardo Samuels and No. 3 Louisville. Double-teaming Louisville's freshman big man at every turn, the Hilltoppers stunned the Cardinals, 68-54, yesterday in Nashville, Tenn., for their first victory over a top-three opponent in more than 40 years. A.J. Slaughter led the Hilltoppers (3-2) with a career-high 25 points, and Steffphon Pettigrew added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Western Kentucky, which dominated the Cardinals (2-1) at both ends of the floor in the second half.

8 p.m. [ESPN2] The Cardinals moved this game to a Wednesday because the Ryder Cup is being played nearby this weekend. Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman has completed 76 percent of his passes, throwing for five touchdowns, in victories over North Texas and Montana State. Though the Wildcats averaged 57 points in those two wins, Louisville (1-1) ranks fourth in the nation in total defense, allowing 193 yards per game.