Elina Aarnisalo poured in 21 points — one shy of her career high — and Lanie Grant had 20 points as North Carolina pulled out a 74-66 victory against Maryland in the Fort Worth Region 1 second-round game Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Fourth-seeded North Carolina (28-7) goes to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. The Tar Heels will take on Monday’s Syracuse-Connecticut winner later in the week in Fort Worth, Texas.

Nyla Harris had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Tar Heels while Indya Nivar shrugged off foul trouble to finish with 11 points.

Oluchi Okananwa racked up 21 points for fifth-seeded Maryland (24-9), but she was just 3-for-11 on free throws. Addi Mack had 13 points, Mir McLean supplied 12 points and 14 rebounds and Kyndal Walker notched 10 points.

The Terrapins shot 3-for-23 from 3-point range and 17 of 31 at the line, so even collecting 21 offensive rebounds wasn’t enough.

North Carolina led 42-33 at halftime, but Maryland scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to claim a 52-50 lead.

No. 2 Michigan 92, No. 7 NC State 63

Olivia Olson had 27 points and Syla Swords pumped in 26 points as the second-seeded Wolverines benefited from a huge second half to pull away in the Fort Worth Region 3 second-round game at Ann Arbor, Mich.

Mila Holloway contributed 13 points and nine rebounds for Michigan (27-6), which faces the winner of Monday’s Alabama-Louisville game later in the week.

Zamareya Jones recorded 16 points, nine assists and four blocks for NC State (21-11), which she also committed seven of the Wolfpack’s 22 turnovers that Michigan turned into 35 points. Khamil Pierre added 15 points for NC State and Devyn Quigley notched 11 points.

NC State played without All-Atlantic Coast Conference guard Zoe Brooks, who was out with a lower-body injury. The Wolfpack were denied a third consecutive spot in the Sweet 16.

Michigan led 28-25 at halftime before cranking out 32 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

Swords finished with four of Michigan’s 10 baskets from 3-point range. The Wolverines committed only six turnovers.

Michigan won for the 16th time in 17 home games this season.

–Field Level Media

Brock Nelson scored the game-winning goal at 1:22 of overtime as the Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

Nelson won the game for the Avalanche (46-13-10, 102) when Martin Necas set him up for a slap shot past Logan Thompson.

Gabriel Landeskog and Nicolas Roy also found the back of the net for Colorado, which is the first team to secure a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Necas had two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves.

The win was the second straight for the Avalanche after a stretch in which they won just one of five games.

Alex Ovechkin and Justin Sourdif scored, and Thompson made 21 saves for the Capitals (35-28-8, 78), who had previously won two straight games and three of their last four.

Sourdif put Washington ahead 1-0 at 11:53 of the first period. The 23-year-old center caught the bouncing puck on a breakaway and beat Blackwood with a snap shot.

Landeskog tied it 1-1 at 1:05 of the third period. Thompson was caught out of position when Necas set Landeskog up from behind the net for an uncontested snap shot.

Colorado went ahead 2-1 at 6:03 when Roy collected his own rebound and scored shortside on Thompson.

Ovechkin tied the game back up 2-2 at 14:17 with a slap shot on the power play.

The Avalanche are part of the playoff field for the ninth straight season. They were Stanley Cup champions in 2021-22.

Washington is on the outside of the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

–Field Level Media

Substitute Tom Barlow scored in the 80th minute, Kevin Denkey followed in second-half stoppage time and 10-man FC Cincinnati rallied to a 4-3 victory over visiting CF Montreal on Sunday.

Barlow scored his first goal for his new club three minutes after his entrance, and 20 minutes after Miles Robinson’s ejection.

Denkey’s second league goal completed the comeback less than 72 hours after Cincinnati (2-3-0, 6 points) lost 5-1 to Tigres UANL in Mexico City, dropping their CONCACAF Champions Cup series 5-4 on aggregate goals.

Ender Echenique scored Cincy’s first goal and assisted its second from Ayoub Jabbari.

Prince Owusu scored his third and fourth goals of the season for Montreal (1-4-0, 3 points) as well as his second from the penalty spot, and added an assist.

Wiki Carmona added his third goal of the campaign and an assist, but Montreal again struggled up a man. The French Canadians have been outscored 4-1 when playing 11-on-10.

Both late Cincinnati goals came via uncontrolled touches from Montreal defenders.

First, Barlow reacted smartly when Samuel Piette poked the ball away from Denkey, arriving first to it in the penalty area and driving a low finish past Thomas Gillier.

Then on Cincinnati’s long throw-in from the left, a Montreal defender reached the ball first, but only sent his header bounding toward the back post. Denkey was the first man there, poking it over the line and then pulling his shirt off in celebration of what could be a pivotal moment in Cincinnati’s season.

Robinson was sent off in the 60th minute when referee Filip Dujic ruled he had hauled down Owusu trying to reach the rebound of Brayan Vera’s shot, denying a goal-scoring opportunity without trying to play the ball.

Owusu stepped up and converted the ensuing penalty inside the right post, hesitating slightly to send goalkeeper Even Lauro lunging in the opposite direction before striking his shot.

Carmona’s effort from distance opened the scoring in the fourth moment, and after Echinique leveled in the 40th, Owusu gave Montreal the lead again in the 45th. Jabbari made it 2-2 in the 52nd.

–Field Level Media