The 2025 NCAA Ladies’s Match continued with the ultimate spherical of the Candy 16 on Saturday.
On Friday, UCLA, South Carolina, LSU and Duke all superior to the Elite Eight. On Saturday, TCU, Texas, UConn and USC joined them.
The celebs have been out all day. Hailey Van Lith led the Horned Frogs with 26 factors, whereas Madison Booker put up 17 factors for the Longhorns.
However nobody has had a greater Saturday than Paige Bueckers.
The probably No. 1 decide within the 2025 WNBA Draft was unstoppable within the second half for the Huskies. She set a profession excessive with 40 factors, which can be a brand new UConn single-game file in an NCAA Match sport. She turned the primary Huskies participant to attain 30+ factors in three NCAA Match video games, as nicely.
UConn is now within the Elite Eight for the 18th time within the final 19 seasons. The Huskies will face No. 1 seed USC for the second time this season. The Trojans received the primary matchup 72-70 in December, however they’d JuJu Watkins within the lineup on the time.
[Read more: 2025 Women’s March Madness Schedule: Dates, locations, channels, how to watch]
Listed below are the highlights from Saturday:
USC survives with out JuJu Watkins to carry off Kansas State
Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 factors to assist Southern California maintain off Kansas State 67-61 within the Candy 16 on Saturday.
The highest-seeded Trojans (31-3) have been thought-about title contenders earlier than Watkins tore her proper ACL throughout a second-round victory over Mississippi State. Now they’ll be underdogs in an Elite Eight rematch on Monday with Paige Bueckers and second-seeded UConn. The Huskies knocked the Trojans out of final yr’s March Insanity in Watkins’ first season.
Avery Howell, one other freshman, scored 18 factors for USC, which went on a 12-0 run throughout the third quarter to take a 46-39 lead, matching its largest benefit of the day.
Kansas State (28-8) stored pushing, although, and tied it at 51-all early within the fourth on a layup by Ayoka Lee. Rayah Marshall responded with two straight buckets for USC.
A layup by Serena Sundell received the Wildcats inside 60-59. Smith responded with a pair of free throws, and USC was stable sufficient on the foul line to shut it out.
Sundell scored 22 factors and Lee had 12 for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (28-8), who fell wanting this system’s second Elite Eight look and first since 1982. They beat Kentucky 80-79 in extra time to succeed in their first Candy 16 since 2002.
Smith had 11 factors within the opening quarter because the Trojans constructed a 19-9 lead.
The Wildcats pulled forward 19-16 after Sundell’s layup and free throw. USC answered with a pair of 3-pointers from Howell and Malia Samuels.
Sundell hit a jumper and two free throws down the stretch to assist Kansas State to a 30-28 benefit on the half.
USC arrived at Spokane Enviornment carrying Nike T-shirts emblazoned with Watkins’ face.
Gamers handed round a small Watkins bobblehead, full together with her trademark “JuJu Bun” coiffure, on the sidelines throughout the sport.
A day earlier, coach Lindsay Gottlieb stated her group was taking part in for its inured star: “I feel the prevailing feeling is that we are able to nonetheless do one thing collectively, and that’s what JuJu desires us to do.”
Watkins hoped to guide USC to its first nationwide title because it received again to again in 2002 and ’03.
Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 40 factors, rescuing UConn from its first-half doldrums and single-handedly turning a good sport in opposition to Oklahoma into an 82-59 rout on Saturday that despatched the Huskies to the Elite Eight of the ladies’s NCAA Match.
Bueckers had 29 factors after halftime for the Huskies, who trailed 36-32 on the break. The probably No. 1 total decide within the WNBA Draft eclipsed her earlier profession better of 34 factors, set Monday in UConn’s second-round victory over South Dakota State, her last dwelling sport at Gampel Pavilion.
The electrifying senior guard matched her profession excessive with six 3-pointers earlier than testing of the sport with 3:06 left and UConn forward 80-51.
The second-seeded Huskies (34-3), winners of 13 straight, will Southern California in a regional last on Monday.
Ashlynn Shade added 12 factors and Sarah Robust had 11 factors and 11 rebounds for UConn, which is searching for to increase its file by profitable a twelfth nationwide title. The Huskies reached their fourth Elite Eight previously 5 years, however coach Geno Auriemma’s group hasn’t received all of it since 2016.
Payton Verhulst scored 16 factors for third-seeded Oklahoma (27-8), which was taking part in its first Candy 16 sport since 2013. The Sooners have by no means overwhelmed the Huskies in a sequence that features the 2002 nationwide title sport.
Bueckers took UConn to the Ultimate 4 final season, the place it misplaced to eventual champion South Carolina.
The Sooners jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Huskies’ first factors got here on Bueckers’ 3-pointer simply over three minutes into the sport, which touched off an 11-0 UConn run. The Huskies led 17-12 after the opening quarter.
Verhulst hit a deep 3-pointer to place the Sooners again on prime, 24-23. She added a jumper and one other 3 to increase the result in 29-23. Verhulst had 13 factors within the second quarter.
Reyna Scott’s 3 despatched the Sooners into the break with a four-point lead.
Bueckers clearly didn’t not need her collegiate profession to finish, scoring eight factors early within the third quarter to place the Huskies forward.
Her fast-break layup stretched the result in 48-40 and the Huskies managed the sport from there, main by 59-46 heading into the ultimate quarter.
She added a deep 3 that gave UConn a 62-46 lead and put the sport out of attain for Oklahoma.
Bueckers surpassed Tina Charles for fourth place on UConn’s profession scoring listing.
Prime-seeded Texas edges No. 5 seed Tennessee in Candy 16
Madison Booker scored 17 factors and No. 1 seed Texas outlasted fifth-seeded Tennessee 67-59 in a good battle Saturday within the Candy 16 of the ladies’s NCAA Match.
Taylor Jones added 12 factors and eight rebounds for the Longhorns, who superior to face TCU within the Elite Eight.
Booker scored seven within the fourth, together with 4 straight with the sport tied at 54 with 5 minutes left. Tennessee pulled again inside one on a jumper from Ruby Whitehorn, who led the Vols with 16 factors. Zee Spearman added 13.
After pushing the lead again to 4, Texas trusted what received it to the regional semifinal: protection.
The Longhorns compelled 4 Tennessee turnovers over the ultimate 5 minutes, and held the Volunteers to no makes on their last 5 pictures. Booker knocked down a pair of clutch free throws to seal the win.
No. 2 seed TCU advances to first Elite Eight with win over No. 3 seed Notre Dame
Hailey Van Lith scored 12 of her 26 factors within the fourth quarter to assist second-seeded TCU beat No. 3 seed Notre Dame on Saturday, 71-62, within the Candy 16 of the ladies’s event.
Sedona Prince added 21 factors for the Horned Frogs (34-3), who superior to the Elite Eight for the primary time in class historical past. Subsequent up is top-seeded Texas on Monday night time.
With the sport tied at 52 early within the fourth, Van Lith took over. She scored 5 of the following six factors for TCU to provide the group the lead. Each run that the Combating Irish made, Van Lith and the Horned Frogs had a solution.
Van Lith, who began her profession at Louisville earlier than transferring to LSU final season after which TCU this previous yr, is on her option to a regional last for the fifth time.
Notre Dame (28-6) was attempting to succeed in the Elite Eight for the primary time since 2019. It received off to a sluggish begin earlier than rallying for a 35-33 halftime lead. Neither group led by greater than 4 factors within the second quarter.
Notre Dame perceived to blow the sport open early within the third quarter, scoring 9 straight factors. Olivia Miles was a giant a part of the run. She went behind her again whereas dribbling up the court docket in transition earlier than throwing a no-look move for a layup. Then she hit a 3 earlier than waving her arms in celebration as she made her manner down the court docket.
TCU wasn’t rattled although. Van Lith made a few key defensive performs to maintain the Horned Frogs within the sport, they usually trailed 52-50 going into the fourth. TCU made 22 of 24 free throws, together with all 16 within the second half.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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