SEATTLE (AP) — UConn’s record streak of reaching 14 straight Final Fours ended when third-seeded Ohio State beat the No. 2 seed Huskies 73-61 on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Cotie McMahon scored 23 points and the Buckeyes (28-7) forced UConn (31-6) into 25 turnovers, ending the Huskies’ season before the national semifinals for the first time since 2008. UConn hadn’t been eliminated this early since 2006.
The Buckeyes stopped their own Elite Eight drought. Ohio State hadn’t made a regional final since 1993. The Buckeyes went on to lose in the title game that year.
They’ll play Virginia Tech on Monday night in the Seattle 3 Region final with a trip to Dallas at stake.
Ohio State, which had to rally from a double-digit deficit in the first round against James Madison, used full-court pressure to disrupt the Huskies’ offense. Jacy Sheldon scored 17 points and went 10-for-10 from the foul line for the Buckeyes.
Lou Lopez Senechal scored 24 points for the Huskies, Azzi Fudd had 14, and Ohio State transfer Dorka Juhasz finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
VIRGINIA TECH 73, TENNESSEE 64
SEATTLE (AP) — Georgia Amoore scored a career-high 29 points and top-seeded Virginia Tech advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history with a win over Tennessee.
The Hokies (30-4) won their 14th straight game overall and advanced to a matchup with No. 3 seed Ohio State in the Seattle 3 Regional final on Monday night. Ohio State topped UConn in the first semifinal, ending the Huskies’ streak of 14 straight Final Four appearances.
Amoore and the Hokies used a dominant stretch spanning the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third that built enough of a cushion to hold off Tennessee’s valiant rally over the final 12 minutes.
Amoore attempted 19 3-pointers in the Hokies’ second-round win, but shot only 14 this time around.
Jordan Horston led Tennessee (25-12) with 17 points.
GREENVILLE 1 REGION
SOUTH CAROLINA 59, UCLA 43
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Reigning national champion South Carolina turned in its latest overwhelming defense-and-rebounding-first performance to beat UCLA.
Aaliyah Boston had eight points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, and Kamilla Cardoso had 10 points for the Gamecocks (35-0), the top overall tournament seed. It was South Carolina’s 41st consecutive victory and secured the program’s sixth trip to the Elite Eight under Dawn Staley.
The Gamecocks will play for their fifth trip to the Final Four in Monday’s Greenville 1 Region final against No. 2 seed Maryland.
Charisma Osborne scored 14 points to lead the fourth-seeded Bruins (27-10), who were in the Sweet 16 for the eighth time and first since 2019.
MARYLAND 76, NOTRE DAME 59
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Diamond Miller scored 14 of her 18 points in the final two quarters to lead second-seeded Maryland over depleted Notre Dame and into the Elite Eight for the first time in eight years.
Shyanne Sellers also had 18 points for the Terrapins (28-6), who used a third-quarter burst to put away the third-seeded Fighting Irish (27-6). Maryland will play South Carolina on Monday for a Final Four berth.
Sonia Citron led the Fighting Irish with 14 points, their only double-figure scorer. Notre Dame was again without leading scorer Olivia Miles, who injured a knee in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
___
AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
