Philadelphia ? Shyra Ely scrawled her goal on the back of her sneakers: Homeward Bound. With the way Tennessee is playing, Ely might get her wish.

Ely scored 23 points and led the top-seeded Lady Vols into their 20th regional final with a 75-59 victory over Texas Tech on Sunday. The Lady Vols (29-4) will play Rutgers on Tuesday night in the Philadelphia Regional for a trip to the Final Four in Ely’s hometown of Indianapolis.

“I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,” said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High. “It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.”

Ely already told her parents they could dole out tickets only to fans who had been to a Tennessee game this year — not a bandwagon jumper. Those on the fence might want to rush to Philly.

Ely, averaging 17 points in three tournament games, offered a simple explanation for her sharp shooting.

“It’s tournament time. It’s March,” she said.

Certainly, Tennessee knows a thing or two about playing its best in March.

The Lady Vols used a smothering defense to shut down the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders (24-8) and help coach Pat Summitt build on her NCAA record with her 881st career victory. She hopes to make it 884 by the end of the tournament.

“I think we’re one of the teams that can win a championship,” Summitt said.

Tennessee's Loree Moore (21) shoots against Texas Tech's Erin Myrick in the second half of the Vols' 75-59 victory. UT ousted the Red Raiders on Sunday in Philadelphia.

Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points, and Nicky Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced offense for Tennessee.

Texas Tech entered with four players scoring in double figures, but never got any offensive rhythm. The Lady Raiders missed their first eight shots and made only nine baskets on 30 attempts in the first half. LaToya Davis had 12 points, and Judith Smith added 10.

“We got into a big hole in the first five minutes and never recovered,” Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp said. “My job is to get them ready, and we didn’t handle the first five minutes well. It probably shook our confidence a little.”

Philadelphia Regional

Rutgers 64, Ohio State 58

Philadelphia — Rutgers let Ohio State All-American Jessica Davenport get her points, but shut down the rest of the Buckeyes with tenacious defense.

Now the Scarlet Knights are just one win away from their first Final Four appearance in five years.

Cappie Pondexter scored 24 points, and Rutgers turned 15 Ohio State turnovers into 22 points.

Kansas City Regional

Michigan State 76, Vanderbilt 64

Kansas City, Mo. — What a great day to be a Spartan.

Shortly after the men reached the Final Four on Sunday with a dramatic double-overtime victory over Kentucky, Kristin Haynie had a triple-double and led Michigan State’s women past Vanderbilt.

Haynie, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, had just two points in the first half that was mostly dominated by the Commodores. But she finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the second triple-double in the program’s 32-year history.

Stanford 76, Connecticut 59

Kansas City, Mo. — Women’s basketball will have a new champion this year — finally. Connecticut’s remarkable run is over.

Stanford made all the right plays down the stretch and got 21 points from freshman sensation Candice Wiggins to beat Connecticut in the semifinals of the Kansas City Regional.

After winning the last three national championships and four of the last five, Connecticut won’t even make it back to the Final Four. Its 20-game winning streak in NCAA Tournament play is history.