MINNEAPOLIS -- A packed house, screaming fans, band music and hot dogs. It was everything you'd expect at a women's NCAA Final Four basketball game.

Except for the plush velvet seating.

This was, after all, a movie theater, not a stadium.

But for 700 raucous Minnesota fans at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis on Sunday night, it didn't matter.

"Being here is as close as you can get without being at the game," said fan Christie Milczanowski, as she watched the Gophers play Connecticut for the right to play in the NCAA national championship game.

The atmosphere was festive, but the crowd left disappointed -- the Gophers lost 67-58. A crowd also gathered at Williams Arena to watch the game.

At the Riverview -- which also showed Minnesota's upset over top-ranked Duke in the Elite Eight last week -- distraught fans were being turned away at the door a half hour before tipoff.

With prerecorded Minnesota band music during commercial breaks, hot dogs and concession stands, the game in New Orleans didn't seem too far away.

"The crowd is just fabulous," fan Jen O'Brien said.

Despite a slow start for the players, there was rarely a lull in support. The crowd cheered whenever star Lindsay Whalen appeared on the big screen. As the Gophers started coming back from an eight-point halftime deficit, the cheers grew louder, as did the boos for Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma.

Even as the minutes wore down -- along with Minnesota's season -- the fans in the Riverview kept up the support.

And in the end, the fans gave one last round of applause for their team and still seemed to have enjoyed their time.

"I believe that there are no losers in a game like this," said Cindy Henderson, 47, of Minneapolis. "It was fun to watch, it was a great time."