By: Ashton Grennon and Kelly Wick
The women's March Madness Sweet 16 came to an end on Saturday. The major storyline of the weekend is that number 9 seed Miami was still dancing into the Elite Eight…that is before the clock struck midnight on their Cinderella run.
Miami vs. Indiana
The Hurricanes, fresh off of a victory in the round of 32 against 1 seed Indiana, took care of business again, this time against number 4 seed Villanova to advance to the Elite 8. Miami led for much of the game, ultimately coming out on top, 70-65. Sophomore guard, Jasmyne Roberts, had her best game of the tournament so far, scoring 26 points (a career high) and grabbing 9 rebounds to lead the way to victory for Miami. Roberts came into the tournament averaging just 8.9 points per game on the season. Miami's head coach, Katie Meier, after the game had a lot of praise for her team, “I can't believe it. I'm not going to act cool, this is awesome.”
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LSU vs. Utah
Miami's next opponent, 3 seed LSU, took care of their business as well, although in a much more nerve-wracking way. LSU faced off against 2 seed Utah in the sweet 16, a game in which the lead changed hands several times. Utah had a chance to go ahead in the final seconds, as LSU committed a foul on Utah's Jenna Johnson with just 4.7 seconds left remaining in the game. Johnson, a 75% free throw shooter on the season, missed both in the biggest moment. At this point, LSU was winning 64-63, had Johnson made a free throw, the outcome of this game could have been drastically different. LaDazhia Williams, a senior, led the way for LSU, scoring 24 points (tournament high) and grabbing 6 rebounds. When interviewed after the game, Williams said, “I'm not ready to go home. We already know where we want to go.”
LSU then brought Miami's historic run to an end as the Hurricanes lost to the Tigers in the Elite Eight. LSU awaits the winner of Ohio State/Virginia Tech in the Final Four.
Maryland vs. Notre Dame
On the other side of the Greenville region, 3 seed Maryland faced off against 2 seed Notre Dame in the Sweet 16. After a close first half, and the game tied up at 44 all, Maryland ran away with the game following a 17-1 3rd quarter run. The final score was 76-59. Notre Dame was without their leading scorer on the season, Olivia Miles, who is dealing with a knee injury suffered in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament earlier this month. Shyanne Sellers, a sophomore, led the attack for Maryland, scoring 18 points, handing out 8 assists, and grabbing 5 rebounds. Senior guard, Diamond Miller, also chipped in 18 points for the Terrapins.
Maryland will face off against 1 seed and defending national champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, tonight in the Elite 8.
South Carolina vs. UCLA
South Carolina, the favorite to cut down the nets, continued their pure dominance throughout their undefeated season with a strong victory over 4 seed UCLA. South Carolina's leader, Aliyah Boston, led the charge, scoring 8 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and adding 2 blocks. UCLA put up a fight, holding the powerhouse Gamecocks to just 59 points, but South Carolina continued their pursuit of another championship with a 59-43 victory. This is South Carolina's 41st win in a row, a streak that they will look to continue as they face off against Maryland on Monday, March 27, in the Elite Eight.
Ole Miss vs. Louisville
The Ole Miss Rebels (25-9) fell to the Louisville Cardinals (26-11) 72-62, sending them to the Elite Eight for the 5th straight year.
Home-state hero Hailey Van Lith led Louisville back to the Elite 8 with 21 points, putting on a spectacular show for the Cardinals. Merissah Russell hit a 3-pointer to put the Cardinals up 52-42 – their biggest lead of the game at that point. This basket came shortly after Jones converted a 3-point play to extend their 46-40 lead by nine points.
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For the second game in a row, the Cardinals played excellent defense. The Cardinals limited Texas to 51 points during the second round matchup.
Louisville had a sluggish start against Mississippi, but Van Lith got them going and the Cardinals led 20-15 after one quarter. The Cardinals started the second quarter slowly, giving up the lead in the process. However, they still managed to hold a 34-29 advantage at halftime. They were unable to distance themselves from the Rebels until the end of the quarter.
Ole Miss narrowed its deficit to 58-53 with 2:32 left before Van Lith hit a shot in the lane to stop the Rebels' run. With 2:17 left on the clock and Myah Taylor making her first of two free throws, Olivia Cochran's three-point play put the team up by nine points, essentially securing the victory.
Marquesha Davis and Taylor's 19 points apiece paced Ole Miss. Louisville then lost to Iowa in the Elite Eight on Sunday. Iowa will face the winner of South Carolina/Maryland in the Final Four.
Colorado vs. Iowa
The Iowa Hawkeyes (29-6) defeated the Colorado Buffaloes (25-9) to move on to the Elite Eight.
No. 2 seed Iowa reached the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament in their win over Colorado, with Caitlin Clark scoring 31 points – 18 of which came in the second half. This victory follows two disappointing seasons for the team. Clark jumpstarted Iowa's strong second half performance – the first-team All-American scored 11 of 22 shots, including four 3-pointers and eight assists. This was her 11th game scoring at least 30 points this season.
Monika Czinano had 15 points, with a crucial basket in the paint remaining 1:10. Kate Martin scored 16 and McKenna Warnock 10. Iowa shot 54% for game and 59% in second half.
Frida Formann led Colorado with 21 points, 19 of which she scored in the first half when her shooting was on point. However, Formann struggled in the second half and fouled out with 6:37 left on the clock.
Quay Miller's 3-pointer brought Colorado within 76-70 with 4:16 left to play, and Jaylyn Sherrod's steal and layup made the score 78-74 in favor of the opposing team with 1:40 remaining. Czinano scored in the paint, followed by seven made free throws from Iowa in the last minute, effectively putting an end to any chance of a comeback from the Buffaloes.
Vonleh contributed 13 points and Miller chipped in 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Buffs.
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee Volunteers
The Virginia Tech Hokies (30-4) won in an exciting game over the Tennessee Volunteers (25-12) 73-64.
Jordan Horston led the team with 17 points. Two other players also scored 10 or more points. Rickea Jackson was right behind with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Jordan Walker added 12 points.
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Virginia Tech was led by Georgia Amoore, who scored 29 points. Kayana Traylor and Elizabeth Kitley also had strong games with 14 and 12 points respectively.
The Hokies raced to a 9-0 advantage in the opening minutes as Tennessee struggled to make shots from the Field, until Jordan Walker finally got Tennessee on board. Jillian Hollingshead scored a minute and a half later to bring the Volunteers within five, but VT went on a 7-2 run to lead 16-6 by the 3:35 mark. Hollingshead put in a layup, and Jackson hit a three to bring Tennessee within five two minutes after. Kitley made a layup, but Jackson scored on a three-point play in the final seconds to put Virginia Tech ahead 18-13 going into the second period.
Tennessee closed the gap to four points after Horston made a three-pointer in the first two minutes of the second frame. Amoore hit a three-pointer on the fast break to give the Hokies a 25-18 lead with 7:13 remaining in the half. The Volunteers reduced the deficit to five twice before a three by Traylor started an 8-0 run that lasted for the final three minutes of the half, resulting in VT having a 35-22 advantage at halftime.
The Hokies started the second half strong, scoring on their first two drives to take a 40-22 lead at the 8:56 mark. The Hokies went up by 16 points after D'Asia Gregg hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 left in the third quarter. After both teams sank a couple of free throws each, Tennessee went on a seven point tear to finish the period, bringing them within nine points at 49-40.
Traylor's three-point play started an 8-0 Hokie run that put them ahead 61-52 a couple minutes later. Even though the Volunteers used a full court press in the closing minutes, they never caught up and lost 73-64. Virginia Tech will play Ohio State for a spot in the Final Four tonight.
Ohio State vs. UConn
The Ohio State Buckeyes (28-7) ended the University of Connecticut Huskies (31-6) attempt for a 15th straight Final Four, winning 73-61.
This will be Ohio State's first appearance in the Elite Eight since 1993.
The Buckeyes turned the tide in their favor during the second quarter with a game-changing run that started when they were 8 points down late in the first. With a tenacious full-court press that caused numerous turnovers, they found their rhythm and went on a 17-point scoring run. For the first five minutes of the second quarter, Ohio kept the Huskies from even attempting a field goal.
Lou Lopez Sénéchal was the Huskies' top scorer with 25 points. Ohio State, with 23 points from Cotie McMahon, was able to weather several challenges posed by UConn, largely due to maintaining its aggressive defense.
UConn fought back against Ohio State's lead, cutting it to 44-39 with 3:38 left in the third quarter. However, the Buckeyes quickly regained their footing and increased their lead to 10 points once more, 54-44, going into the fourth quarter.
Taylor Mikesell opened the final quarter with an Ohio State 3-pointer, extending their lead to 64-46. The Huskies responded with a 9-0 run midway through the quarter. Lou Lopez Sénéchal led the charge, but the quick run of scoring wasn't enough. UConn never got back within nine points and in the end, the Buckeyes forced the Huskies into 25 turnovers and ended the Huskies's streak of seventeen-straight Elite Eight appearances. The Buckeyes face 1 seed Virginia Tech for a spot in the Final Four tonight.
Stay tuned to 2aDays for more women's March Madness coverage and updates.
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* Originally published on March 27, 2023, by 2aDays Staff
