Perkins' Cierra Bravard and her Florida State Seminoles will have to play the game of their lives tonight when they face No. 1-seeded Connecticut, who beat them earlier this season 78-59.

Florida State (29-5) advanced with a 74-71 victory over No. 7 seed Mississippi State on Sunday in the Dayton Regional semifinal, led by Bravard’s 10 points and nine rebounds, along with 21 points from Alysha Harvin and 14 from Courtney Ward.

UConn (36-0) defeated Iowa State in the earlier semifinal. The Huskies have won 75 games in a row and it’s their third-straight win in the NCAA Tournament by at least 30 points.

The Seminoles, who set a school mark with their 29th win, earned their first spot ever in a regional title game.

After 11 ties and 14 lead changes, the Seminoles finally got the lead for good with 1:40 left when Harvin was fouled during a loose-ball scrum and broke a tie at 66 by hitting both foul shots.

swalker@MorningJournal.com