COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maybe Maryland will look like a No. 1 seed when it gets to the other side of the country. At least the Terrapins are still in the NCAA women’s tournament, no small feat for a team that’s often struggled to get this far.

Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver had 19 points apiece, Crystal Langhorne had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Terrapins held off Nebraska 76-64 Tuesday night after blowing a 15-point lead.

Maryland (32-3) will next face fourth-seeded Vanderbilt (25-8) on Saturday in the semifinals of the Spokane Regional.

This marks only the second time in its last eight tournament appearances that Maryland has advanced to the round of 16. The only other time, the Terrapins won the 2006 national championship.

Yvonne Turner scored a career-high 23 points for the Cornhuskers (21-12), who performed marvelously in an unfriendly environment.

Playing twice at home, the Terrapins stumbled past No. 16 seed Coppin State on Sunday before facing an eighth-seeded Nebraska team coming off its first NCAA tournament win in 10 years.

It should have been a mismatch, and for a while it looked like one. The Terps showed why they were ranked in the top five throughout the season while racing to a 32-17 lead, and even after Nebraska pulled even at 45, an 8-0 Maryland run appeared to restore order.

But Nebraska never stopped coming.

Coleman was the driving force in keeping Maryland afloat, scoring 15 in the second half after going 1-for-6 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. It was 45-45 before the junior forward sank a 3-pointer with 14:36 left to put the Terrapins ahead for good. Coleman then hit a jumper, and a 3-pointer by Toliver made it 53-45.

Minutes later, however, Turner hit a 3-pointer and was fouled, and the rare 4-point play sparked a surge that got Nebraska to 65-61. Toliver answered with two straight baskets, and the Terrapins finally had enough breathing room to plan for their trip west.

Maryland thrilled the partisan crowd by racing to a 32-17 lead with 5 minutes left in the first half, but the Cornhuskers closed with a 16-2 blitz to make it 34-33 at the break. Turner led the charge with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Turner was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes; her teammates were 0-for-8.

AP-ES-03-25-08 2358EDT