Women's NCAA roundup: Ohio State sinks UNC at buzzer

 

[March 21, 2023]  Destiny Harden's jumper from the paint rolled in off the rim with 3.3 seconds left, allowing ninth-seeded Miami to stun top-seeded Indiana 70-68 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game Monday in Bloomington, Ind.

Following Stanford's loss to eighth-seeded Ole Miss on Sunday, it marks the first time since 1998 that two No. 1 seeds in the same women's tournament lost before the Sweet 16. Miami (21-12) will face fourth-seeded Villanova in the Greenville 2 Regional semifinal.

Indiana (28-4) never led Monday, falling behind by 14 during the first half before clawing back. Hoosiers star Mackenzie Holmes tied it 60-60 with 3:05 to play, but Miami answered with five quick points. Indiana's Grace Berger then made two free throws and Yarden Garzon knocked down a 3-pointer to knot it at 65 with 49 seconds left.

Harden and Haley Cavinder combined to go 3 of 6 from the foul line for Miami in the final minute, leaving the door open for Indiana. Garzon rattled in an open trey from the left corner to tie the game again at 68 with 6.6 seconds left. But Harden responded, receiving an inbounds pass and working her way one-on-one to get a close shot for the game-winner.

Harden credited associate head coach Fitzroy Anthony for calling her number.

"I got to give all my credit to him," Harden said on the ESPN broadcast. "He believed in me, the whole coaching staff believed in me, the whole team believed in me, man. It just feels good to make the shot (and) send Miami to the Sweet 16 for the first time, man."

Harden finished with 18 points and five rebounds and Lola Pendande had a team-high 19 points plus seven rebounds for the Hurricanes. Jasmyne Roberts scored 16 points.

Holmes posted game highs of 22 points and nine boards to lead Indiana. Berger tallied 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Garzon scored 10 points.

SEATTLE 3 REGION

No. 2 UConn 77, No. 7 Baylor 58

Azzi Fudd scored 16 of her 22 points in the third quarter to help the Huskies run away from the visiting Bears in Storrs, Conn.

UConn (31-5) qualified for the second weekend of the tournament for the 29th straight time, a streak dating to 1994. The Huskies will face third-seeded Ohio State in the Sweet 16.

Aaliyah Edwards scored 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, Dorka Juhasz had 11 points and seven rebounds, Caroline Ducharme added 10 points and Nika Muhl dished 10 assists for the Huskies, who have won seven straight games and 10 of 11.

Ja'Mee Asberry scored 15 points, Jaden Owens had 14 and Bella Fontleroy chipped in 12 for Baylor (20-13), which led 24-18 after one quarter.
 

No. 3 Ohio State 71, No. 6 North Carolina 69

Jacy Sheldon sank a floater with 1.8 seconds left to play as the Buckeyes escaped an upset bid from the Tar Heels in Columbus, Ohio.

Sheldon's shot was in response to a game-tying layup from Deja Kelly with 9.7 seconds left to play. The Buckeyes (27-7) led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter but needed the heroics from Sheldon to put away the Tar Heels (22-11).

Sheldon finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, and teammate Taylor Mikesell scored 17 points. Kelly led North Carolina with 22 points and three steals, while Alyssa Ustby and Kennedy Todd-Williams each scored 16 points.

Ohio State is headed to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

No. 4 Tennessee 94, No. 12 Toledo 47

Five Lady Vols scored in double digits to lead Tennessee past the Rockets in Knoxville, Tenn., and into the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

Rickea Jackson stuffed the stat sheet for Tennessee (25-11) with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Quinesha Lockett led Toledo (29-5) with 19 points.

Tennessee is now due for a rematch with No. 1 Virginia Tech next weekend in Seattle. The Hokies beat the Lady Vols 59-56 on Dec. 4 in Knoxville.

Mar 20, 2023; Storrs, CT, USA; The UConn Huskies and Baylor Lady Bears tip-off to start the game at Harry A. Gampel Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

GREENVILLE 2 REGION

No. 4 Villanova 76, No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast 57

Maddy Siegrist, the nation's leading scorer, tallied 31 points as the Wildcats raced away from the Eagles in the second half to win in Villanova, Pa.

Siegrist also had six rebounds, four steals and four blocks as Villanova (30-6) advanced to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history, and for the first time under coach Denise Dillon. It's also the first time in program history that Villanova has reached 30 wins.

Siegrist was helped by Lucy Olsen, who poured in a season-high 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the sophomore's second double-double of the season. Next up for Villanova is a matchup with top-seeded Indiana or ninth-seeded Miami.

Florida Gulf Coast (33-4) was led by Sha Carter's 11 points and six rebounds and Alyza Winston's 10 points.

SEATTLE 4 REGION

No. 5 Louisville 73, No. 4 Texas 51

Hailey Van Lith scored 21 points to guide the Cardinals past the Longhorns in Austin, Texas.

Van Lith also had three rebounds and three assists and was aided by 10 points from teammate Morgan Jones. DeYona Gaston led Texas (26-10) with 12 points, and Rori Harmon contributed 10.

The Cardinals (25-11) outscored the Longhorns 21-7 in the second quarter and went on to lead by as many as 27 points in the fourth. Louisville advanced to its sixth consecutive regional semifinal.

No. 6 Colorado 61, No. 3 Duke 53 (OT)

The Buffaloes' Jaylyn Sherrod made two layups in the final 1:21 of regulation to tie the game at 50 and Aaronette Vonleh scored four points in overtime to help the visitors pull away from the Blue Devils in Durham, N.C.

Quay Miller led Colorado (25-8) with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Sherrod finished with 14 points and Vonleh added 12 as Colorado outrebounded Duke 44-35 and scored 16 second-chance points. The Buffaloes will face second-seeded Iowa in the Sweet 16.

"This team's been through a lot," Sherrod said on the ESPN broadcast. "It's a blessing, because we've worked so hard to get here, put Colorado back on the map."

Celeste Taylor approached a quadruple-double, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and a career-high 10 steals for Duke (26-7). Elizabeth Balogun had a team-high 14 points, and Reigan Richardson posted 10 points and eight boards.

GREENVILLE 1 REGION

No. 4 UCLA 82, No. 5 Oklahoma 73

Charisma Osborne produced a career-high 36 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Bruins staved off the visiting Sooners in Los Angeles.

UCLA (27-9) led 41-28 at halftime before Oklahoma took over with a 26-12 third quarter highlighted by an 18-2 run.

The Bruins moved back in front for good early in the fourth, and Osborne's pullup jumper restored their lead to 10 points with 1:49 left. Madi Williams brought the Sooners back within six on a three-point play, but Osborne then drew a foul on a 3-point shot and made all three free throws with 24 seconds left.

Williams had 24 points and six assists to lead Oklahoma (26-7), while Ana Llanusa scored 15 points and Skylar Vann contributed 14 points and six boards.

Kiki Rice had 14 points for UCLA, which will face unbeaten, top-seeded and defending champion South Carolina in the Sweet 16.

--Field Level Media

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