SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Leigha Brown scored 23 points and Naz Hillmon added 19 to lead No. 6 seed Michigan to a 70-55 win over third-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines had been 0-5 in the second round before pulling off the victory over the Lady Vols.
Leading 18-16 with eight minutes left in the first half, Michigan (16-5) held Tennessee to just one field goal the rest of the second quarter and built a 28-19 halftime lead.
Tennessee (17-8) trailed by 15 heading into the fourth quarter and didn’t get closer than nine.
Hillmon, the Big Ten Player of the Year, also had 15 rebounds.
A trip to the Sweet 16, where the Wolverines will face Baylor in the River Walk Region, was just another first this year. The team started 10-0 for the first time in school history. Michigan was also in the rankings all season for the first-time, as well as having Hillmon be the first player to earn All-America honors as a second-teamer.
Rennia Davis scored 12 points to lead the Lady Vols, who were playing Michigan for the first time.
BAYLOR 90, VIRGINIA TECH 48
Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington both had 21 points as reigning women’s national champion Baylor advanced to its 12th consecutive NCAA Sweet 16, beating Virginia Tech.
Queen Egbo had 12 points and 13 rebounds, along with seven blocked shots for the Lady Bears (27-2). DiDi Richards had nine assists.
All-America forward NaLyssa Smith finished with 15 points, all but two of those coming after halftime for Baylor.
Georgia Amoore had 18 points with four 3-pointers to lead Virginia Tech (15-10), which had opened its first NCAA Tournament since 2006 with a win over Marquette.
UCONN 83, SYRACUSE 47
Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 19 to help No. 1 seed UConn beat eighth-seeded Syracuse and advance to the Sweet 16.
Once again the Huskies were missing coach Geno Auriemma, who is recovering from COVID-19. Chris Dailey filled in for the Hall of Fame coach, who celebrated his 67th birthday on Tuesday and could potentially rejoin the team this weekend for its next game.
Bueckers, the freshman All-America guard, had 16 points in the first half for the Huskies (26-1).
In the second half, the Huskies tore the Syracuse zone apart with precision passing that led to easy layups. The Huskies led 64-35 after three quarters and cruised into the Sweet 16 for the 27th straight year. They will play fifth-seeded Iowa next.
Syracuse (15-9) was led by its own talented freshman in 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso. She had 12 points and seven rebounds.
IOWA 86, KENTUCKY 72
Caitlin Clark finished with 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting and six 3-pointers after outscoring Kentucky on her own in the first half, and the Hawkeyes advanced to the Sweet 16.
The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes (20-9) scored the game’s first 11 points — with all five starters getting a basket, Clark’s being a 3-pointer.
They led throughout to advance past the second round for only the third time in their 14 NCAA appearances during Bluder’s 21 seasons.
Two-time AP All-American guard Rhyne Howard finished with 28 points to lead the fourth-seeded Wildcats (18-9). She was 1 of 7 shooting in the first half, but finished 8 of 21 with five 3-pointers, along with eight assists. Dre’Una Edwards added 16 points and Jazmine Massengill 10.
Monika Czinano added 14 points and McKenna Warnock 10 for the Hawkeyes.
MERCADO REGION
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 79, SOUTH FLORIDA 67
Jakia Brown-Turner scored 19 points and top-seeded North Carolina State shrugged off a challenge from No. 8 South Florida with a big third quarter, advancing to the Sweet 16.
Jada Boyd added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack (22-2), who reached their third straight regional semifinal and 14th overall. They will face fourth-seeded Indiana or 12th-seeded Belmont.
USF (19-4) led by a point early in the third quarter before N.C. State used two big runs to pull away and take a 12-point lead into the fourth.
The Bulls pulled within eight points with 3 1/2 minutes to go, but the Wolfpack scored the next five points.
Elena Tsineke had 22 points to lead the Bulls, who made six 3-pointers in the first half to spark hope of an upset, but hit just three more after halftime.
HEMISFAIR REGION
SOUTH CAROLINA 59, OREGON STATE 42
Aliyah Boston scored 19 points and top seed South Carolina dominated after a close first quarter to beat eighth-seeded Oregon State, advancing to its seventh straight Sweet 16.
The Gamecocks (24-4) led by a point after one quarter but had built a 12-point lead by halftime and were up 53-29 by the start of the fourth.
South Carolina, which won a national title in 2017, improved to 8-1 in the second round under coach Dawn Staley and will appear in the regional semifinals for the 11th time overall. The Gamecocks’ next opponent is fifth-seeded Georgia Tech.
Taylor Jones scored 13 points for Oregon State (12-8), which ended a streak of four straight Sweet 16 appearances.
South Carolina made just 1 of 15 3-pointers, but was able to control the game by outscoring the Beavers 34-24 inside and winning big on the boards.
GEORGIA TECH 73, WEST VIRGINIA 56
Lotta-Maj Lahtinen scored 22 points, Lorela Cubaj had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 5 seed Georgia Tech used a big third quarter to beat No. 4 West Virginia.
The Yellow Jackets needed a second-half rally in the opening round against Stephen F. Austin — the fourth-largest comeback in tournament history — but had this game well in control with a 17-point lead over the Mountaineers to start the fourth.
Lahtinen was 9 of 16 from the field and struck for 17 points in the first half to dig the Yellow Jackets out of an early hole.
Georgia Tech (17-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history and first since 2012.
Esmery Martinez scored 13 points to lead West Virginia (22-7).
STANFORD 73, OKLAHOMA STATE 62
Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford unleashed another barrage of 3-pointers as the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament booked yet another trip to the Sweet 16.
The Cardinal made 13 3-pointers after making 15 in their first-round win. All of those against Oklahoma State came in the first three quarters as Stanford built the lead as high as 20.
Stanford made the Sweet 16 for the 27th time in pursuit of its first national title since 1992. The Cardinal advance to play the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between No. 5 Missouri State and No. 13 Wright State in the Alamo Region.
The Cardinal (27-2) had four players score in double figures and all five starters made at least one 3-pointer as the Cowgirls struggled to cover every shooter.
Neferatali Notoa scored 14 for Oklahoma State (19-9).
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