UConn vs. OSU, Elite 8 in play
The two remaining No. 1 seeds – South Carolina and Virginia Tech – will take to the court on Saturday as the NCAA Women’s Tournament continues with the final Sweet 16 matchups. The Elite Eight spots are up for grabs.
Aliyah Boston and the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks are seeking their second straight national championship and have a slight advantage over their hometown — the Greenville Regional is less than two hours from their campus.
The rest of the night will feature No. 3 Ohio State against No. 2 Connecticut and No. 1 Virginia Tech against No. 4 Tennessee, who hasn’t made the Elite Eight since 2016.
Follow live updates throughout the day:
Ohio State leads UConn at halftime
Follow the madness: Latest NCAA College Basketball Women’s Tournament Scores and Schedules
SEATTLE — Ohio State forced UConn to 18 turnovers and held the Huskies without a basket for nearly eight minutes, helping the Buckeyes take a 36-26 halftime lead.
Big Ten rookie of the year Cotie McMahon scored 18 points to lead third-seeded Ohio State. UConn looked out of sorts through the first two quarters as the Buckeyes accelerated them and forced them into bad shots and worse passes. The Buckeyes led a 17-0 run to take the lead and went up to 13 at one point.
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards was mostly no factor, scoring just two points (she’s averaging a team-high 17) and picking up three fouls. She only played nine minutes.
Ohio State has a history of getting sloppy during games, so the Buckeyes’ attention will be huge, especially coming out of the locker room.
–Lindsay Schnell
Final: No. 1 South Carolina 59, UCLA 43
South Carolina remains undefeated. The Gamecocks held UCLA to just 34 points in a dominating performance and were never tested. It was the Gamecocks’ 35th win of the season, tying the school record, and their third consecutive trip to the Elite Eight.
“It feels good to make history,” Aliyah Boston said.
Boston was close to a double-double, finishing with 8 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, as was Victaria Saxton, who had 10 points and seven rebounds. The South Carolina bench added 28 points.
Neither team shot well from beyond the arc — South Carolina went 4-for-16 of three and UCLA went 3-for-18 — but the Gamecocks’ 14 offensive rebounds allowed plenty of opportunities second chance. The Bruins’ 15 turnovers didn’t help.
There was a scary moment with 2:12 remaining in the game when Charisma Osborne was grossly fouled and landed awkwardly. She was the only Bruin to score double figures with 14 points.
South Carolina will face Maryland on Monday in the Elite Eight.
South Carolina up at halftime with solid defensive effort
South Carolina allowed just six field goals in the first half against UCLA as it led 25-15 at halftime in Greenville Regional 1 Sweet 16 action.
The Bruins shot just 27% in the first 20 minutes and South Carolina was no better, hitting just 33% of their shots. UCLA has made a concerted effort to pack the paint with defenders leading in fewer points than South Carolina has scored in a half all season.
Brea Beal had 10 points and six rebounds for the Gamecocks, who dominated the boards, especially on the offensive end. Aliyah Boston has four points and nine rebounds, taking just four field goal attempts.
Charisma Osborne and Kiki Rice, UCLA’s top two scorers, combined to score five points.
Maryland uses a great second half to rout Notre Dame
Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers scored 18 points apiece to lead a second-half blitz to put Notre Dame away 76-59 in the Greenville Regional 1 Sweet 16.
Maryland advances to the Elite Eight and will face the winner of UCLA and South Carolina.
Sellers added eight assists, five rebounds and three steals for Maryland, which led up to 22 in the second half.
The Terrapins trailed by one at halftime but edged the Irish by 13 in the third quarter and continued to pour it from there.
Notre Dame turned him over 25 times, made just two of his 10 shots from beyond the arc and couldn’t avoid fouls.
Sonia Citron had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Irish and was the only Notre Dame player to score in double figures.
Miami Coach Katie Meier Shows Off Her Fashion Sense
Kim Mulkey won’t be the only one drawing attention to what she wears on the sidelines.
The LSU coach went viral on Friday for a jacket that’s part Elton John, part Muppets and part tea. When asked what she thinks Mulkey might bust for Sunday’s Elite Eight game against her Miami side, Hurricanes coach Katie Meier said she doesn’t know.
“But I’m going to wear overalls,” Meier said. “Because a lot of people miss an opportunity because they’re dressed in dungarees and look like work, so I’m wearing dungarees. Put it over there.
– Nancy Armor
Notre Dame uses an effective second quarter to take a halftime lead over Maryland
Notre Dame overcame early turnovers and rode an 11-0 second quarter streak to take a 32-31 lead in the Greenville Regional 1 Sweet 16 game against Maryland.
The Irish turned it over eight times in the first quarter, but used their size to get offensive rebounds to secure second-chance opportunities. Maryland was held scoreless for six minutes in the second quarter and had its own rotational issues allowing the Irish to take the lead.
Sonia Citron has eight points and Maddy Westbeld added seven points, four rebounds and three fouls for Notre Dame, which shot 52% in the first half.
Abby Meyers leads Maryland with nine points and Brinae Alexander has eight points off the bench.
–Scooby Axson
How to Watch, Stream Women’s Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament Games?
The Sweet 16 for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament kicks off Saturday with action at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle:
►No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Maryland
Time/TV: Saturday, 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN
►No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 1 South Carolina
Time/TV: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
►No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 UConn
Time/TV: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ABC
►No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 4 Tennessee
Time/TV: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Watchability Ranking: Virginia Tech wants to be what Tennessee was
This is only the second trip to the Sweet 16, and the first since 1999, for Virginia Tech, which is trying to establish itself as one of the top programs in the country. Winning the ACC Tournament and getting a No. 1 seed helped, but if they’re going to stay in the conversation next season and the season after, the Hokies need to keep winning.
The Elite Eight was such a given for Tennessee that it was practically part of their schedule. But the Lady Vols haven’t gone this far since 2016. They’re truly the first team that seemed to have the potential of the Tennessee teams of yore, and their performances in the first two rounds reminded people why they were a pick. Final Four trend. in pre-season.
–Nancy Armor, Lindsay Schnell
Twelve head coaches have qualified for the Sweet 16, the most since 2015, when 13 head coaches pushed their teams this far (three of them are identical: Dawn Staley of South Carolina, Brenda Freese of Maryland and Lisa Iowa Bluder). Only once in the tournament’s history have all 16 teams been coached by women – the first year, in 1982.
Three of the 12 are black women — Staley, Ole Miss’s Yolette McPhee-McCuin and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey — a number that resonates in a sport with 44% black athletes.
“It’s important just because I aspire to be a coach,” said Jordan Walker of Tennessee, a senior guard. “To be able to see Dawn Staley and Coach Yo in those positions is like, wow, little black girls, they can do it too. It’s really inspiring. It makes you want to push harder, because the foot is in the doo. With three (black women) in the Sweet 16 right now, what can it be next?
–Lindsay Schnell
While Aliyah Boston is by far the most important piece on the Gamecocks’ roster, she’s not the biggest problem for opposing teams. They are his teammates.
Boston, along with the rest of the top five, led South Carolina to the No. 1 seed and the presumptive favorite to repeat as national champions. Most women’s basketball players — including South Carolina’s Sweet 16 opponent, UCLA’s fourth seed — would love to have even one of the Gamecocks starters on their roster. But they would also be happy to get a reserve.
–Lindsay Schnell
Recap: Caitlin Clark propels No. 2 Iowa into Elite Eight against No. 6 Colorado
SEATTLE — Another day, another 30-point game from Caitlin Clark.
The Iowa junior guard scored 31 goals and provided eight assists on Friday as the second-seeded Hawkeyes qualified for the Elite Eight with an 87-77 win over sixth-seeded Colorado , at the Climate Pledge Arena.
Colorado had plenty of opportunities to cut Iowa’s lead but couldn’t take advantage of them. The Buffs outshot Iowa 40-32 and grabbed 21 offensive boards, but they could only turn them into 15 second-chance points (Iowa, meanwhile, scored 11 second-chance points) .
–Lindsay Schnell
Recap: No. 3 LSU wins thriller against No. 2 Utah
The game was neck and neck throughout, but the No. 3 LSU Tigers emerged victorious Friday against the No. 2 Utah Utes, 66-63. Utah had a chance to take the lead with four seconds left in the game after going 7-0, but Jenna Johnson missed both of her free throws. LSU’s Alexis Morris sealed the deal and sent the Tigers to their first Elite Eight since 2008 with his own pair of free throws.
–Victoria Hernandez
USA Today
