bridgestone arena

Dedicated Terps fans traveled with the Maryland women's basketball team or watched closely from College Park, while a handful were stranded at the airport as plane trouble prevented planned trips to Nashville.

The Terps made it all the way to the bright lights, pep rallies and glitz of the Final Four before encountering a Notre Dame team that stunned Maryland with its rebounding in an 87-61 victory.

It was easy to find Maryland fans inside Bridgestone Arena and on the streets outside. The arena is located in a downtown tourist area filled with restaurants and bars, many featuring live country music.

As they signed autographs and held open practices Saturday, neither the No. 4 seed Terps nor No. 2 seed Stanford seemed in the mood to be mere props for two elite top seeds.

That Brionna Jones' surgically repaired right knee is now healthy enough to take the Bridgestone Arena court in Nashville, Tenn., against the undefeated Fighting Irish is testament enough to a player who, at one point, was under consideration for a redshirt year. How a shy 18-year-old has come "out of her shell," as senior center Essence Townsend fittingly put it, is all the more remarkable.

The women's game is growing. Sunday night's Final Four at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., is sold out. The arena seats just under 20,000 for basketball. The Terps (28-6) play Notre Dame (36-0) in the first game followed by Connecticut (38-0) against Stanford (33-3).