Sports The 2025 NCAA Ladies’s Tournament continued Monday with the closing slate of second-round action.
[Read more: 2025 Women’s March Madness Schedule: Dates, locations, channels, how to watch ]
On Sunday, eight groups moved on to the Candy 16, alongside with No. 1 seeds UCLA and South Carolina. The loads of half of of the field was once finalized Monday. No. 1 seed Texas skated into the next round, while No. 3 LSU is headed to its third Candy 16 in a row. No. 3 seed North Carolina additionally knocked off No. 6 seed West Virginia to position up a rubber match with Duke in the Candy 16.
Paige Bueckers, in her closing home sport, carried No. 2 seed UConn to its thirty first straight Candy 16 in a fetch over No. 10 seed South Dakota Convey.
In the game of the match to this level, No. 4 seed Maryland came support from a 17-level deficit to beat No. 5 seed Alabama in a double-beyond regular time thriller.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all right data: USC celeb JuJu Watkins was once injured as the No. 1-seeded Trojans rolled over No. 9 seed Mississippi Convey.
Listed below are the total greatest moments from Day 2 of the Spherical of 32:
JuJu Watkins leaves with hurt as USC buries Mississippi Convey JuJu Watkins went down with a grotesque-having a see knee hurt five minutes into Monday evening’s sport. Top-seeded Southern California saved going with out its smartly-known person player, pummeling Mississippi Convey 96-59 to prevail in the Candy 16 for the second straight yr.
Watkins scored three aspects on free throws earlier than injuring her correct knee. The team went mute as she writhed in pain and clutched her knee while her teammates regarded on helplessly and coach Lindsay Gottlieb rushed to her aspect. Watkins was once carried off the flooring by multiple of us.
“She’s being seen by our great medical team,” Gottlieb informed ESPN at halftime. “JuJu is the toughest kid I know and she’s gonna be good one way or another.”
Her teammates were terrific in her absence. They saved their poise while constructing leads of 28-8 after one quarter, 50-27 at halftime and 75-42 after three.
Kiki Iriafen, a Stanford graduate transfer, scored a season-excessive 36 aspects on 16-of-22 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. She left with 6:29 final and the gang chanting, “Kiki! Kiki!” Freshman Avery Howell added 18 aspects, hitting four 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs were led by Jerkaila Jordan with 17 aspects.
The Trojans (30-3) were up 34 aspects in the third. Their followers cherished it, getting on their feet and roaring, especially when Iriafen waved both fingers in the air, urging them on.
Mississippi Convey may perchance perchance not tackle the larger Trojans, who as a substitute of being deflated with out Watkins gave the impression hell-twisted on punishing their opponent.
The Bulldogs (22-12) had more than honest the Trojans to take care of. The home crowd, angered by the inability of 1 among the game’s greatest stars, booed every time MSU touched the ball and their cheerleaders heard it, too, getting jeered for the duration of a halftime routine.
The victory keeps the Trojans on a capacity collision course with Paige Bueckers and UConn in the regional closing in Spokane, Washington. They bought knocked out by the Huskies in closing yr’s Elite Eight.
Shedding Watkins early in the game gave the Trojans a possibility to showcase their depth. They’d five gamers in double figures, alongside with three of their seven rookies.
The Bulldogs are known for his or her defensive prowess, however USC pressured them into 20 turnovers that ended in 27 aspects for the Trojans.
The Trojans play fifth-seeded Kansas Convey (28-7) in the Spokane 4 regional semifinals on Saturday.
Paige Bueckers ratings 34 in closing home sport as UConn dominates South Dakota Convey Paige Bueckers matched her profession excessive with 34 aspects in her home finale, and second-seeded UConn reached its thirty first straight Candy 16 in the females’s NCAA Tournament, beating No. 10 seed South Dakota Convey 91-57 on Monday evening.
Having talked about goodbye to her adoring followers at Gampel Pavilion, Bueckers, a senior who’s anticipated to be the stay total make a selection in the WNBA Draft, turns her attention toward attempting to bring UConn its 12th nationwide title and first since 2016.
Azzi Fudd scored 17 aspects and Sarah Stable carried out with 15 aspects, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks for the Huskies (33-3), who will face Oklahoma in a regional semifinal in Spokane, Washington.
Paige Meyer had 16 aspects for South Dakota Convey (30-4).
Brooklyn Meyer, the Jackrabbits’ leading scorer who’s not connected to Paige Meyer, went down with an ankle hurt with 30.9 seconds left in the predominant half of and needed to be helped to the locker room. She returned for the second half of and carried out with four aspects in 28 minutes.
The Jackrabbits led by six aspects twice in the predominant quarter in the support of the tough play of Paige Meyer, this diagram’s single-season chief in assists. UConn replied by bringing in sophomore guard KK Arnold, whose ball stress helped stifle the South Dakota Convey offense.
With Arnold getting the job accomplished on protection, Bueckers took care of the leisure. The All-The usa guard scored UConn’s closing 10 aspects of the predominant quarter, alongside with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Bueckers had seven aspects in a 16-2 trudge in the second quarter to push the lead to 21. UConn made 10 shots in a row at one level in the second quarter and eight in a row in the third quarter.
North Carolina takes down West Virginia to position up Candy 16 date with Duke Alyssa Ustby scored 16 of her 21 aspects after halftime to abet North Carolina beat West Virginia 58-47 on Monday evening in the second round of the females’s NCAA Tournament.
The fifth-yr senior’s gigantic evening integrated 10 third-quarter aspects for the third-seeded Tar Heels (29-7), who reached the Candy 16 for the predominant time since 2022. North Carolina will face Duke in a regional semifinal in Birmingham, Alabama — the predominant assembly between the opponents in the females’s March Insanity bracket. The Atlantic Flit Convention opponents spoil up their normal-season meetings.
Lexi Donarski and Reniya Kelly each scored 11 aspects for UNC, which shot honest 37.9% however locked down defensively while scoring 23 aspects off turnovers.
Jordan Harrison scored 10 aspects to e book the sixth-seeded Mountaineers (25-8), who fell rapid in their latest strive to bear the Candy 16 for the predominant time since the match’s growth to 64 groups in 1994.
West Virginia shot honest 24.1% for the game, alongside with 1-for-14 in the closing quarter. That in the slay ended West Virginia’s chance to ward off as the Tar Heels began to stretch out a lead to stay the third quarter, beginning with a 9-0 trudge.
Kelly struck with a tying jumper advance the good elbow, adopted by Indya Nivar pushing a rebound in transition to position up Donarski for a correct-fly 3 on the obtain that put UNC ahead for right.
Ustby adopted by driving on sagging defender Jordan Thomas for a reverse layup, then bought to the road for two free throws that capped the trudge and pushed UNC to a 42-35 lead with 1:38 left in the third.
West Virginia never bought closer than five all once more, with none of its shots discovering the web as the game hung in the stability and Ustby staying on the assault — at one level drawing three fouls on one possession early in the fourth.
West Virginia overlooked its first 11 shots of the fourth quarter earlier than Sydney Shaw hit a 3-pointer with 37.8 seconds left.
LSU cruises past Florida Convey to nearly about third straight Candy 16 Mikaylah Williams scored 28 aspects and Aneesah Morrow added 26 aspects and 11 rebounds, leading Flau’Jae Johnson and LSU to a runaway 101-71 victory over Florida Convey in the second round.
Sa’Myah Smith had a season-excessive 20 aspects and 12 rebounds for LSU (30-5), which blew initiate what had been a 50-49 sport at halftime by outscoring the Seminoles 31-6 in the third quarter.
Johnson, who performed honest seven minutes in the predominant half of after it sounds as if annoying a correct shin hurt, returned to delivery the second half of and stirred the home crowd correct into a frenzy with a series of electrifying plays.
She started by dribbling correct by the paint in transition and hitting a correct-handed hook off the glass while being fouled — a three-level play that gave LSU a 59-51 lead.
Soon after came her layup on a driving correct-handed scoop, and then a driving, no-see, underhanded flip to Morrow in the paint for a easy layup.
After that, Johnson blocked O’Mariah Gordon’s perimeter shot, drew a imperfect on the loads of stay and hit two free throws to bear it 78-55.
She scored nine of her 13 aspects in the period and her vitality was once contagious. Williams scored 12 for the duration of the quarter while the third-seeded Tigers suffocated a Seminoles offense that had led the nation in scoring this season with 87.4 aspects per sport.
Ta’Niya Latson scored a sport-excessive 30 aspects, however honest seven after halftime. Makayla Timpson scored 14 aspects and grabbed nine rebounds for the sixth-seeded Seminoles (24-9).
LSU advances to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season, a slump that started for the duration of its 2023 nationwide title trudge. Closing season, the Tigers developed to the Elite 8 earlier than losing to Iowa.
Maryland stages comeback, then outlasts Alabama in a 2OT immediate traditional Sarah Te-Biasu made a tying 3-pointer unhurried in the fourth quarter, then scored eight of her 26 aspects in the second beyond regular time to abet fourth-seeded Maryland out stay fifth-seeded Alabama 111-108 on Monday.
The Terrapins (25-7) nearly about play high-seeded South Carolina in the Candy 16, however to gain there they needed to beat a profession-excessive Forty five aspects by Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker — and a 17-level Crimson Tide lead in the third quarter.
After Te-Biasu pressured the predominant beyond regular time alongside with her 3-pointer, Barker was once fouled shooting a 3 with 0.7 seconds left in OT. She frivolously swished all three attempts to tie it at 96 and ship the game to a second extra session.
It was once undoubtedly the game of the match to this level, and the good time in four second-round matchups that a No. 4 seed was once ready to rob merit of home court docket and beat the No. 5 seed. There has never been a Candy 16 in the females’s NCAA Tournament with out not lower than one No. 4 seed.
It nearly happened this yr, however with Maryland up three, Diana Collins overlooked a 3-pointer for the Crimson Tide (24-9). The ball went out of bounds to Alabama with 1.8 seconds left, however Te-Biasu broke up the inbound lumber — which was once headed in Barker’s course — to seal the game.
Handiest three gamers in match history non-public scored more aspects than Barker’s Forty five: Drake’s Lorri Bauman had 50 in opposition to Maryland in a 1982 regional closing, Texas Tech’s Sheryl Swoopes scored 47 in the 1993 title sport in opposition to Ohio Convey, and Stanford’s Jayne Appel had 46 in a 2009 regional closing in opposition to Iowa Convey.
After coming alive offensively in the fourth, the Terps in the slay tied it at 80 on two free throws by Shyanne Sellers with 1:01 to play. Barker put Alabama support ahead with a 3-pointer with 38.6 seconds left, and then Barker blocked a 3 by Kaylene Smikle at the loads of stay.
But the Terps came up with the ball, and Te-Biasu’s 3 tied it with 12 seconds left. Karly Weathers overlooked a midrange shot for Alabama, and the Crimson Tide needed to lumber to beyond regular time with two of their high gamers — Zaay Inexperienced and Aaliyah Nye — having already fouled out.
Skylar Vann and No. 3 seed Oklahoma with out grief dispatch No. 6 seed Iowa Vann scored 17 aspects, Payton Verhulst added 16 and No. 3 seed Oklahoma cruised into the Candy 16 of the females’s NCAA Tournament, dispatching No. 6 seed Iowa on Monday, 96-62.
Raegan Beers had 11 aspects, 13 rebounds and four blocks in barely 18 minutes for the Sooners.
Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk beat her alma mater and developed past the second round for the predominant time in her four years with the Sooners. Oklahoma (27-7) will play UConn or South Dakota Convey on Saturday in Spokane, Washington.
Caitlin Clark had led Iowa to the outdated two nationwide championship video games earlier than she turn into the No. 1 total make a selection in closing yr’s WNBA Draft. Without her, the Hawkeyes shot 36.4% from the field. Lucy Olsen scored 20 aspects and Kylie Feuerbach added 14 for Iowa (23-11).
Iowa ran out to a 10-4 lead, however the Sooners closed the predominant quarter on a 16-1 trudge. The Sooners led 38-27 at halftime, despite Beers sitting out rather a lot of the half of with two fouls.
Oklahoma, which went 2-for-17 on 3-pointers in the predominant half of, hit three in a 55-second span early in the second half of to lumber up 49-32. The Sooners pushed the lead to 68-43 by the stay of the third quarter.
No. 1 seed Texas handles No. 8 seed Illinois to nearly about Candy 16 Madison Booker scored 20 aspects and No. 1-seed Texas ancient a smothering protection to bear a 65-forty eight victory over No. 8 Illinois on Monday, sending the Longhorns to the Candy 16 for the fourth time in the closing five seasons.
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda added 19 aspects for Texas (33-3), which is able to meet SEC rival No. 5 Tennessee (24-9) in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday.
Texas outscored Illinois 18-6 in the second quarter, then broke the game initiate before all the pieces of the third when the Longhorns stretched the lead to 24 after steals by Booker and Rori Harmon ended in speedy baskets.
Texas’ relentless ball stress harassed Illinois (22-10) the total sport, and the Longhorns scored 23 aspects off 20 Illini turnovers.
Mwenentanda had started 12 of the Longhorns’ outdated 14 video games however was once on the bench for tipoff all once more as Texas inserted freshman guard Jordan Lee in her position. She replied by scoring a profession excessive in aspects on 7-of-10 shooting and additionally grabbed six rebounds.
No. 2 seed NC Convey’s 3-level splurge caps rout of No. 7 seed Michigan Convey Aziaha James scored 26 aspects and second-seeded NC Convey made an NCAA Tournament program-story 15 shots from 3-level range in an 83-49 victory over seventh-seeded Michigan Convey in the females’s second round on Monday.
James connected for six 3s and Madison Hayes, who had 17 aspects, drilled five 3-pointers. Saniya Rivers added 17 aspects and 11 assists and Zamareya Jones had 12 aspects for the Wolfpack (28-6).
NC Convey will meet either Florida Convey or LSU in a Candy 16 matchup on Friday in Spokane, Washington. The Wolfpack will be in the Candy 16 for the sixth time in coach Wes Moore’s 12 seasons.
NC Convey started 5-for-6 on 3-pointers and 10-for-13 total from the field to e book 25-9. The Wolfpack reached a season-excessive for 3-level baskets with 12 lower than five minutes into the third quarter and saved going.
James and Hayes, both seniors in their closing home sport, mixed for 32 aspects as the Wolfpack built a 47-23 halftime lead on the ability to their 18th home fetch with out a loss this season.
The Wolfpack’s five first-quarter 3s matched their most in any quarter this season. Then they did all of it once more in the second quarter. NC Convey has won 20 consecutive home NCAA Tournament video games. The Wolfpack hasn’t misplaced in the match in Raleigh in 42 years.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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