DALLAS — The will of Katie Gearlds wasn't enough to overcome the strength of North Carolina.

With the Tar Heels simply out-muscling the Boilermakers, Purdue saw its season come to an end in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight Tuesday night, falling 84-72. The second-seeded Boilers finish their season with a 31-6 record, while top-seeded UNC, who knocked Purdue out of the tourney in the Sweet 16 last season, moves on to the Final Four in Cleveland.

"To get to the final eight is very special for this group," first-year coach Sharon Versyp said, "having a whole new coaching staff come in and the changes that had to be made."

To advance to the Final Four, the Boilermakers would have had to been almost perfect against the Tar Heels (34-3). They weren't quite up to the task.

North Carolina dominated in the paint, outscoring Purdue 52-28 inside. UNC forward Erlana Larkins proved to be too much for the Boilers to handle, as she scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting, with 10 rebounds and four steals. Routinely, it seemed, Larkin, the Dallas Regional's Most Outstanding Player, rebuffed every Purdue comeback attempt with a powerful move in the lane.

"They're great post players down low," said Erin Lawless, who scored 10 points but was on the receiving end of several of Larkins' exploits. "They're real physical and real tough down there. It was just a matter of defense and I wasn't in position a few times."

After trailing by as many as 10 in the second half, the Boilermakers cut the deficit to four, 64-60, after Gearlds hit back-to-back triples in a 28-second span, then found Jodi Howell, a surprise contributor, on a fastbreak layup with 6:47 left.

Purdue had a chance to further slice into the UNC lead on its next possession, but Gearlds' attempted transition three-pointer from the top of the key fell well short.

"I felt something hit my arm," Gearlds said, "and I know it wasn't my hand, but (the shot) came up a little short."

After a media timeout, the Tar Heels, as they seemed to do after every break in action, came out of the gate quickly, scoring five straight to reestablish a double-figure lead. At 1:33, a Gearlds' jumper brought the Boilers back to within six, 76-70, but they could get no closer.

Gearlds finished with a team-high 28 points on 9-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-13 from three-point range, with seven boards, five assists and three steals in 40 minutes.

"I left it all out there, but I just didn't do enough for my team to win," said Gearlds, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, "and it hurts. I feel like I had nothing more left in my tank, but a couple shots I just wish they would have fell down."

Early, shots were falling for Purdue, which took a 22-17 lead with 7:35 left in the first half. A 12-0 run over the next three minutes, however, put North Carolina in control.

"We didn't find a way to put the ball in the basket," Gearlds said. "We weren't patient enough offensively and I give them credit because they pushed us out of our comfort zone."

Turnovers were Purdue's biggest hindrance; the Boilermakers committed 14 in the first half and finished with 21. Five of them came during that first-half Tar Heel charge.

"Our first-half turnovers were not good," Versyp said. "We were a little bit hesitant rather than confident."

North Carolina took advantage, scoring 24 points off turnovers (to Purdue's 14) and notching 12 fast-break points, twice as many as the Boilers. The Tar Heels shot 55 percent (33-of-60) from the field, including nearly 59 percent in the second half. Ivory Latta scored 21, while UNC forward Rashanda McCants scored 15 in the paint and guard Camille Little added 10, many of them coming from short distance.

"We wanted to force their post players to shot outside shots, and be able to double team," Versyp said. "We just didn't do that exceptionally well; they already had gotten too deep, so we weren't able to front them."

Purdue's three primary post players, Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, Lawless and Danielle Campbell, all fouled out trying to defend the Tar Heels inside. Wisdom-Hylton, who finished with 14 points and seven boards, picked up her fourth with about 12 minutes left. She fouled out at 2:44.

"They've very good down low," said Wisdom-Hylton, a All-Tournament Team member, "and just kept going at it."

Howell, who wasn't expected to play after straining her left shoulder in Purdue's win over Georgia Sunday, gave the Boilers a lift. Her three-pointer — she delivered it almost like a shot put — gave Purdue a 18-17 lead about nine minutes 'til halftime. She finished with seven points in 17 minutes.

"I can't say enough about that kid," Gearlds said. "She's got the heart of a champion."

Gearlds and Lawless see their Purdue careers end after having won 103 games, the fifth-best in school history.

"Katie and Erin are very special," Versyp said. "Winning is not easy when a new staff comes in, especially when you're seniors. I think they handled it better than probably anyone could imagine."

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