HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -Maryland fell into Ole Miss' trap and the defending NCAA champion never got out.
Ole Miss (23-10) used its stifling defense to steal the ball 15 times and force 29 Maryland turnovers and the Rebels upset the No. 2 seed Terrapins 89-78 in the Dayton Regional on Tuesday night.
Armintie Price scored 29 points to lead the Rebels, the same Ole Miss team that was blown out by the Terps 110-79 at a tournament in the Bahamas in November.
This time there was a lot more on the line.
Ole Miss will play No. 3 Oklahoma in the Dayton Regional semifinals. The third-seeded Sooners beat Marquette 78-47 on Monday.
Kristi Toliver led Maryland (28-6) with 24, including 14 in the second half when the Terps cut a 23-point lead to seven.
Maryland made its final run with 6 minutes left after Ole Miss' Alliesha Easley was injured battling for and offensive rebound and Shantell Black hit two free throws to make it 75-60. The Terps, led by Toliver, went on a 12-4 run to make it 79-72.
But Shay Doron and Marissa Coleman fouled out late, and the Rebels hit their free throws down the stretch.
Ashley Awkward had 22, and Easley had 16 for Ole Miss, which scored 42 points off Maryland's turnovers.
Coleman had 20, 13 after intermission, and Crystal Langhorne added 14 for Maryland.
Ross said November's loss came before her team had found its running, pressing, trapping identity.
It was on display from the start this time. After trailing 6-2 early, The Rebels went on an 18-0 run, led by Price, who hit her first six shots.
Ole Miss forced Maryland into 20 first-half turnovers, stealing the ball 10 times.
The Rebels led by as many as 23 and took a 47-30 lead into the half.
Doron, who scored 21 points in the first round, finished with nine.
Ole Miss shot over 55 percent from the floor and won despite being outrebounded 46-29.
The Terps early exit matches the quickest departure for any NCAA champion. Purdue in 2000 and Notre Dame in 2002 also went out in second-round games.
Maryland had won its last seven NCAA games. The defending national champions had beaten 31 consecutive nonconference opponents, including Harvard, 89-65 in the first round.
Price had three steals and needs just four more for 400 in her career. That would make her just the second player in women's NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals. The other is former USC star Cheryl Miller.
This was Ole Miss' 17th trip to the NCAA tournament, and their 10th trip to the semifinals, but the first appearance in the third round since 1992.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Ole Miss defeated Maryland 89-78. The win over the Terrapins avenged a 110-79 loss earlier this season (Nov. 25, 2006).
Ole Miss will face No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championship.
The win over No. 6/6 Maryland was the Rebels third victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Senior guard Armintie Price finished with a game-high 29 points. In 13 games this season, Price has 20 points or more.
Ole Miss forced Maryland into a season-high 29 turnovers, 20 of those miscues came in the first half.
Ole Miss led 47-30 at the half. The Rebels 47 point first half output was the most a Maryland opponent has scored this season.
The Rebels improved to 21-2 when leading at the half. Ole Miss also improved to 7-1 when scoring more than 80 points.
Ole Miss jumped out to and 20-6 lead with just under 13:30 to go in the first half. The Rebels led by as many as 23 points in the opening period. The 23-point deficit was the most Terrapins have trailed all season.
Ole Miss had two players score 20 or more points for the first time since Awkward (23) and Price (30) turned the trick against Arkansas in double overtime on Feb. 4, 2007. The last time it happened in regulation prior to the Maryland game was on Dec. 2, 2006 against Illinois, Price (34) and Easley (25).
It also is the first time Ole Miss has advanced to the Sweet 16 since 1992.
Maryland's second round loss to Ole Miss Tuesday night ties an NCAA record for the earliest exit by a defending national champion who qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame (2001 champion) and Purdue (1999 champion) both lost in the second round in the following year. Notre Dame lost, 89-50, to Tennessee on Mar. 23, 2002, while Purdue fell, 76-74, to Oklahoma on Mar. 25, 2000. Old Dominion, the 1985 champion, did not qualify for the 1986 field.
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