Ashlon Jackson’s rim-circling 3-pointer as time expired gave third-seeded Duke an 87-85 win over second-seeded LSU in a roller-coaster Sweet 16 matchup on Friday in the Sacramento Region 2 nightcap.
The win sends Duke to the regional final on Sunday, when the Blue Devils will face top-seeded UCLA on Sunday. The Bruins cruised past fourth-seeded Minnesota in the first Sweet 16 contest on Friday, 80-56.
Duke (27-8) led most of the night and by as many as 11, including a 78-67 edge in the fourth quarter after an 11-0 run. LSU (29-6) rallied multiple times in the game. The teams exchanged the lead six times in the third quarter with their big spurt, punctuated with three consecutive converted and-one opportunities.
Jackson sank a 3-pointer from the right wing to cap a 19-point night, while teammates Toby Fournier and Taina Mai each scored 22. MiLaysia Fulwiley led all scorers, finishing with 28 points for LSU. She added four assists and four rebounds. Mikaylah Williams scored 22 points in the loss, and Flau’jae Johnson had 13.
No. 1 UCLA 80, Minnesota 56
Kiki Rice put up 21 points to lead four scorers in double figures for the Bruins, who overwhelmed their Big Ten Conference counterpart, the Golden Gophers, in the second half en route to a win in a Sweet 16 game.
UCLA (34-1) moved one victory away from repeat Final Four trips. The fourth-seeded Golden Gophers (24-9) trailed the Bruins by just three points late in the first half, but Gianna Kneepkens’ buzzer-beating layup marked the beginning of a 17-3 run that extended more than six minutes into the third quarter.
Through a combination of breakaway opportunities and pounding the ball to Lauren Betts (16 points) on the interior, UCLA attacked the lane to ignite the decisive push. The Bruins finished with 52 points in the paint while allowing only 22 to Minnesota, which was led by Grace Grocholski’s 12 points.
No. 1 UConn 63, No. 4 North Carolina 42
Sarah Strong’s 21-point, 10-rebound effort propelled the Huskies to a victory over the Tar Heels in the Fort Worth Regional 1 semifinals.
Blanca Quinonez shot 7-for-11 for 16 points off the bench and Azzi Fudd had 10 points and five assists to boost the Huskies to their 53rd straight win, in their lowest-scoring game of the season. They scored at least 71 points in every other game. UConn, the defending national champion, will face Big East rival Notre Dame on Sunday.
Indya Nivar had team highs of 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals for North Carolina, which shot 28.3% from the field and committed 24 turnovers.
No. 6 Notre Dame 67, No. 2 Vanderbilt 64
Hannah Hidalgo poured in 31 points with 11 rebounds and 10 steals as the Fighting Irish held off the Commodores.
Hidalgo was 14 of 25 from the floor and added seven assists, while her 10 steals set a record for an NCAA regional. She broke the single-season steals record along the way, upping her total to 199. Cassandre Prosper, who scored the game’s final three points, finished with 15.
Mikayla Blakes scored 26 points and Aubrey Galvan had 24 for Vanderbilt (29-5), which tied the game at 64 in the final minute of a tight fourth quarter but could not answer Prosper’s go-ahead bucket with 22 seconds remaining.
–Field Level Media
