Talaysia Cooper leads Tennessee to 82-67 victory over Ohio State for spot in Sweet 16

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Talaysia Cooper leads Tennessee to 82-67 victory over Ohio State for spot in Sweet 16

2025-03-24 11:54 Last Updated At：12:01

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Tennessee Lady Vols are headed back to familiar territory in the women's NCAA Tournament.

Talaysia Cooper had 19 points, eight rebounds, seven steals and five assists and Zee Spearman added 17 points and five rebounds as fifth-seeded Tennessee beat fourth-seeded Ohio State 82-67 on Sunday night.

Ruby Whitehorn added 14 points and five rebounds and Samara Spencer had 10 points for Tennessee (24-9), which forced 23 turnovers and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons.

“I thought we played really hard, probably the hardest we’ve played all year, which is what we needed,” first-year coach Kim Caldwell said. “Hats off to the Ohio State fan base. It was loud in there for a period of time. Our huddles were tight. We did a really good job of playing through the runs.”

The Lady Vols advanced to play either No. 1 seed Texas or No. 8 seed Illinois in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday.

“This was something we talked about from the very beginning, that we wanted to make it to the Sweet 16,” Caldwell said. “I’m happy for them. I’m happy to see how excited they are.”

Jaloni Cambridge had 19 points and five rebounds and Cotie McMahon had 17 points and five rebounds for Ohio State (26-7).

“I think this shows we’re growing,” Caldwell said. “I think we’re playing as a team. We knew (Ohio State’s run) was going to happen and we’ve been through that a lot. We’ve been through it countless other games. I wanted them to be able to just work through it.”

Tennessee: The Lady Vols are the only team to participate in all 43 NCAA Tournaments since the event’s inception in 1982 and this will be Tennessee’s record 37th Sweet 16 appearance.

“This means a lot for the program and the people that are here right now with Coach Kim coming in for her first year,” guard Jewel Spear said. “For the people that stayed and the transfers that came in, it just talks a lot about the culture that we established from Day 1.”

Ohio State: It’s the second straight year Ohio State failed to make the Sweet 16 after also losing in the second round last year.

The second half was one run after another. Tennessee scored 14 straight points to go ahead 54-37. But Ohio State came back with a 20-2 run to briefly lead 57-56.

Tennessee responded with a 15-4 run to grab the lead for good. Cooper started it with a 3-pointer and a layup off a steal. Whitehorn then helped cap it with a rebound basket and a 3 from the left corner to beat the shot clock that made it 71-61 with 7:18 left.

“They are a really good team,” Spear said. “We went on our run, they went on their run. We just stayed together. We stayed calm. It was very loud in there, so we needed each other and we had each other’s back.”

The Vols scored 37 points off Ohio State's 23 turnovers. Cooper’s seven steals were among 15 by the Vols, who also held a 21-6 edge in second-chance points.

“When you give up 37 points off turnovers and allow 21 second-chance points, you’re not really giving yourself a chance to win,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. “So credit goes to Tennessee. I thought they played really well and they deserved to win today.”

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Myanmar's earthquake death toll jumps to nearly 700 as more bodies recovered from the rubble

2025-03-29 13:00 Last Updated At：13:11

BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to nearly 700 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city.

State-run television MRTV reported that 694 people have now been found dead and another 1,670 injured, with 68 others missing, according to a statement from the military-led government. The same figures were also reported by the independent news site The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar is in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war, which is already responsible for a massive humanitarian crisis. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously.

The earthquake struck midday Friday with an epicenter not far from Mandalay, followed by several aftershocks including one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude. It sent buildings in many areas toppling to the ground, buckled roads, caused bridges to collapse and burst a dam.

The head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said in a rare television broadcast Friday that the death toll was expected to rise as he reported an initial 144 people found dead.

In neighboring Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, home to some 17 million people — many of whom live in high-rise buildings — and other parts of the country.

Bangkok city authorities said so far six people have been found dead, 26 injured and 47 are still missing, most from a construction site near the capital's popular Chatuchak market.

When the quake hit, the 33-story high-rise being built by a Chinese firm for the Thai government wobbled, then came crashing to the ground in a massive plume of dust that sent people screaming and fleeing from the scene.

On Saturday, more heavy equipment was brought in to move the tons of rubble, but hope was fading among friends and family members of the missing that they would be found alive.

“I was praying that that they had survived but when I got here and saw the ruin — where could they be? In which corner? Are they still alive? I am still praying that all six are alive,” said 45-year-old Naruemol Thonglek, sobbing as she awaited news about her partner, who is from Myanmar, and five friends who worked at the site.

“I cannot accept this. When I see this I can’t accept this. A close friend of mine is in there, too,” she said.

Waenphet Panta said she hadn't heard from her daughter Kanlayanee since a phone call about an hour before the quake. A friend told her Kanlayanee had been working high on the building on Friday.

“I am praying my daughter is safe, that she has survived and that she’s at the hospital,” she said, Kanlayanee’s father sitting beside her.

Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was ready to accept assistance.

A 37-member team from the Chinese province of Yunnan reached the city of Yangon early Saturday with earthquake detectors, drones and other supplies, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia’s emergencies ministry dispatched two planes carrying 120 rescuers and supplies, according to a report from the Russian state news agency Tass.

India sent a search and rescue team and a medical team as well as provisions, while Malaysia’s foreign ministry said the country will send 50 people on Sunday to help identify and provide aid to the worst-hit areas.

The United Nations allocated $5 million to start relief efforts. President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.

The Trump administration's cuts to the United States Agency for International Development have already forced the United Nations and non-governmental organization to cut many programs in Myanmar.

AP writers Jerry Harmer and Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.