Alabama kept pouring it on to open the second half, finding a 14-3 run in the middle of the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the final frame. Maryland never rolled over for the Crimson Tide tying the game from the free throw line with one minute remaining.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley sat down to watch a second-round matchup between Alabama and Maryland on Monday, knowing that her team would face the victor in the Sweet 16. She was prepared to face either one, but she admits that she had a bias toward the Crimson Tide.

The Arkansas Pine-Bluff transfer shined in her Alabama NCAA Tournament debut, and the Crimson Tide needed Green to shine. Green averaged 15.7 points per game, second on the team, but was the third option at times behind 3-point ace Aaliyah Nye and Sarah Ashlee Barker.