NCAA Women's Tournament Top Moments: Day 2 of the Elite Eight

Updated Mar 30, 2021 11:02 pm ET

Tuesday's matchups in the NCAA Women's Tournament were to decide who would join the UConn Huskies and Arizona Wildcats in the Final Four.

Up first, the 6-seed Texas Longhorns fell to the 1-seed South Carolina Gamecocks 62-34.

The Gamecocks advance to their third Final Four under head coach Dawn Staley.

After that, the 2-seed Louisville Cardinals built a double-digit first half lead against the 1-seed Stanford Cardinal, but couldn't hold on.

Stanford stormed back in the second half to win 78-63 and advance to the Final Four.

Here are the top moments and plays from Day 2 of the Elite Eight in the NCAA Women's Tournament.

No. 6 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks
Result: South Carolina wins 62-34

Unstoppable

South Carolina couldn't have drawn up a better start for forward Victaria Saxton. She scored the first eight points of the game for the Gamecocks.

Fighting back

Longhorns guard Celeste Taylor responded to Saxton's scoring burst with one of her own, reeling off consecutive baskets for Texas in the second quarter.

Shooting star

South Carolina guard Zia Cooke made her presence felt in the first half, scoring 13 points and making six shots from the field.

Defensive masterclass

South Carolina held Texas scoreless in the fourth quarter on the way to a 62-34 win to advance to the Final Four. Five Gamecocks players scored at least 10 points, led by Cooke's 16.

No. 2 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 1 Stanford Cardinal
Result: Stanford wins 78-63

Getting shots up quick

Louisville guard Dana Evans wasted no time against Stanford, scoring seven quick points in the first quarter to pace the Cardinals.

Building a lead

The Cardinals' hot start pushed them to a 10-point lead early against Stanford, with six made 3-point field goals in the first half.

A game of runs

Louisville jumped out to a 12-point halftime lead, but Stanford didn't roll over easily, clawing back into the game early in the third quarter.

And they eventually overtook the Cardinals for the lead in the fourth quarter, a lead they would never relinquish.

And then there were four

The Stanford Cardinal have made the 2021 Women's Final Four whole with a 78-63 win over the Louisville Cardinals.

This will be Stanford's 14th Final Four appearance in program history.