2023 March Madness women's Sweet 16 highlights: Ohio State, Maryland advance
The 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament continued Saturday with four more Sweet 16 games.
No. 2 Maryland turned things up defensively in the second quarter and cruised past No. 3 Notre Dame in the day's first game. The Terrapins will play 1-seed South Carolina, which put up a strong defensive effort to beat 4-seed UCLA, next.
Later, No. 3 Ohio State took down No. 2 UConn, marking the first time since 2007 that the Huskies won't play in the Elite Eight. On the other hand, it will be the Buckeyes' first Elite Eight trip since 1993.
Closing out the day, top-seeded Virginia Tech beat No. 4 Tennessee to advance to the first Elite Eight in program history.
These winners will join Miami (Fla.), LSU, Iowa and Louisville, all of which punched their ticket Friday, in the next round.
Here are the top plays!
No. 1 Virginia Tech 73, No. 4 Tennessee 64
A-Moore buckets, please
Georgia Amoore got things going early for Virginia Tech, scoring 10 points in the game's first 13 minutes.
Her bucket to open up the second quarter gave the Hokies a seven-point lead as she received the dish from Elizabeth Kitley, who had six points in the first quarter.
Another one!
Amoore couldn't be stopped from the area beyond the arc. She made three 3-pointers to score 15 first-half points and give Virginia Tech a 35-22 lead at halftime.
Kitley can't be stopped
The Virginia Tech big continued her dominance in the paint in the opening minutes of the second half, making a layup plus the foul to give the Hokies a 40-22 lead.
Vols making it a game
Tennessee's Sara Puckett came up with a steal and dished it off to Jordan Walker, who took it in for the bucket and cut the Hokies' lead to single digits.
Not so fast!
Just when it looked like Tennessee was going to come back and take the lead, Virginia Tech's Kayana Taylor took it to the rack and capitalized on the layup and the foul.
Heading to the Elite Eight!
Amoore finished with 29 points, six rebounds and five assists as Virginia Tech defeated Tennessee, 73-64, to make its first Elite Eight in program history.
No. 3 Ohio State 73, No. 2 UConn 61
Working early
The Huskies were active on both ends to open up Saturday's matchup. Nika Muhl stole the ball from Eboni Walker and made the extra pass to Aaliyah Edwards, who was wide open for the layup down low to take a quick 10-2 lead.
Ohio State adding pressure
The Huskies committed ten turnovers in the second quarter, allowing the Buckeyes to take a 36-26 lead at the break.
Cotie McMahon scored 13 points in the quarter, as UConn trailed by double digits at halftime for just the sixth time in an NCAA Tournament game.
Not missing
The Buckeyes took a couple of punches from UConn in the third, but the Huskies weren't able to break through. Ohio State held a 54-44 lead entering the fourth quarter, as Jacy Sheldon's 3-pointer helped the Buckeyes score 18 points in the frame.
Rikki Harris' 3-pointer early in the frame put the Buckeyes up by 16 and while the Huskies had a run in them, they weren't able to cut the lead to fewer than nine points. It marks the first time that UConn won't play in the Elite Eight since 2007.
No. 1 South Carolina 59, No. 4 UCLA 43
Beal buckets
Brea Beal was the game's leading scorer in the opening quarter, which was full of tough defense. Beal drained a 3-pointer early on to give her five first-quarter points and help the Gamecocks hold a 14-8 lead at the end of one.
Cardo-swat
Kamilla Cardoso made a chase-down block as UCLA struggled to score even on the fast break.
Cardoso's block was one of three for the Gamecocks in the first half, as they held the Bruins to just 6-of-22 shooting from the field, giving them a 25-15 lead at the break.
Gamecocks on the run
South Carolina broke things open a bit in the third quarter, scoring 25 points in the frame to take a 50-30 lead.
Kierra Fletcher and Victaria Sexton were part of the team effort to help double its scoring output in the third.
Teamwork = Victory
South Carolina dominated in its win over UCLA to advance to the Elite Eight, but it was more than just Aliyah Boston leading the Gamecocks to victory. Boston only scored eight points, while three of her teammates scored in double figures.
No. 2 Maryland 76, No. 3 Notre Dame 59
What a start!
On the first possession, Maryland's Elisa Pinzan got a steal and passed the ball up to Faith Masonius for the layup.
Irish creating separation!
Notre Dame began pulling away from Maryland in the second quarter, with this bucket jump-starting a 13-0 run.
Hustle plays win games!
After the Irish's 13-0 run, Maryland used this play by Abby Meyers to generate a run of its own.
Maryland fought back right before the half, bringing the Fighting Irish's lead to 32-31 at halftime.
Terps on the high side!
Shyanne Sellers' layup put Maryland in the lead for the first time since the first minute of the second quarter.
Putting the team on her back
Sonia Citron's layup gave her 10 points on the day, as she led an ultimately unsuccessful Notre Dame comeback.
No. 5 Louisville 72, No. 8 Ole Miss 62
Blow a kiss
Hailey Van Lith hit a deep jumper before blowing a kiss to the crowd.
Three of 'em
Ole Miss took a two-point advantage with just under three minutes to play in the second quarter on a pretty 3 from Myah Taylor, but the Cardinals held their opponent scoreless for the remainder of the half, leading 34-29 after two quarters.
Going dancing!
This is the Big Dance, and Angel Baker brought her dancing shoes. She lost her defender with a smooth twisting move, and floated one in.
Raining 3s
The Cardinals led 52-42 after the third quarter, going up double-digits on this 3 from Merissah Russell.
Louisville held on to win, 72-62, sending the Cardinals to the Elite Eight.
No. 2 Iowa 87, No. 6 Colorado 77
Early run
Frida Formann led the Buffs early in the game, as Colorado went on a 12-3 run in the first quarter.
Frida Friday
Formann was dominant with 17 points in first half, keeping the score tight by sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
Tempo in transition
Iowa kept it close as the first half ended, with a steal by Sydney Affolter setting up Gabbie Marshall for the lay-up to catch up to Colorado's 40-39 lead at halftime.
Hawkeyes on the hunt
The Hawkeyes stormed back in the second half, going on a 6-0 run to take the game back with a 47-42 lead.
Quay trey
JaQuaya Miller threw up three fingers in celebration as she knocked down a pivotal 3 to slim the Hawkeyes' lead to six points midway through the fourth quarter.
Iowa staved off the Buffs' comeback attempt though, defeating Colorado 87-77 to secure a spot in the Elite Eight.
No. 3 LSU 66, No. 2 Utah 63
Looking at you, LSU!
The Tigers blazed ahead in the opening minutes of the game, going on a 7-0 run to establish an early lead.
Utes answer
The second-seeded Utes bounced back to keep the score close, and the first quarter closed at an even 16-16.
Catching up
LSU's LaDazhia Williams spun off the defender for the bucket as the Tigers trailed by five.
Patience is rewarded
Issy Palmer's patience paid off when she found the open lane to the basket, breaking the Utes out of a 25-25 stalemate.
At the end of the first half, Utah led 33-29.
Point for point
The Tigers and Utes kept this game close throughout the third quarter. Williams made it look easy with this basket to tie the game again at 37-37.
Pure gas
Palmer drilled a deep 3-pointer to give the Utes the lead at the end of a back-and-forth third quarter with nonstop action.
No brakes
LaDazhia Williams plowed through Utah's defense on the way to a 55-52 lead in her highest-scoring game of the season.
In a nail-biting final stretch, LSU held on to edge the Utes in a 66-63 victory that sends them to the Elite Eight.
No. 9 Miami (Fla.) 70, No. 4 Villanova 65
Slinging heat
The Villanova Wildcats started strong as Lucy Olsen slung a baseline pass over to Christina Dalcee, who capitalized to make it 6-4.
Maddy madness
The Wildcats all-time leading scorer Maddy Siegrist began heating up early on in the game, leading Villanova with nine points in the first quarter.
Canes mean business
But the Canes, who toppled a top-seeded Indiana squad to get to the Sweet 16, had no intention of rolling over.
Jasmyne Roberts got wide open at the net and increased the Canes' lead to 23-17.
Stolen away
Back-to-back buckets from Siegrist and Bella Runyan, who barreled to the basket following a steal, helped the Wildcats trim Miami's lead in the second quarter.
Holding the lead
The Canes kept a firm grip on their lead through the first half, entering halftime ahead 46-33 thanks to smooth shots like this by Ja'Leah Williams.
Record-breaking
Siegrist's dominant performance brought Villanova back into the game, trailing 57-50 at the end of the third quarter. She broke the record for the longest streak of consecutive 20-point games in Division I basketball this century.
Wildcat comeback!
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats came back from 21 points down to take the lead, 60-59, with five minutes left.
Canes storm through
Despite the Wildcat's late-game push, the Canes kept their edge as Roberts landed another clutch bucket in the final minute of the game to regain the lead, 66-65.
The Canes punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history with an exciting 70-65 victory.
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