Amaya Battle’s stepback jumper with 0.8 seconds left lifted No. 4 seed Minnesota to its first Sweet 16 since 2005 with a 65-63 win over fifth-seeded Ole Miss in Sacramento Region 2 second-round action in Minneapolis on Sunday.
After Minnesota (24-8) went on a 10-4 run to take a 63-61 lead with 18 seconds left, Latasha Lattimore tied the game with a layup for Ole Miss (24-12) with 3.5 seconds left.
Battle finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, supplementing Mara Braun’s 17 points, which included making 4 of 5 3-pointers. The Golden Gophers made 7 of 12 shots from distance (58.3%) and overcame committing 15 turnovers.
The Golden Gophers will face the winner of Monday night’s matchup between No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State in Sacramento next week for a spot in the Elite Eight.
Sira Thienou led the Rebels with 18 points, and Cotie McMahon chipped in 15 points before fouling out with 4:22 left. Ole Miss outscored Minnesota 25-14 in the third quarter to take a 54-46 into the fourth but shot just 3-of-11 from the floor over the final 10 minutes.
No. 2 Michigan 92, No. 7 NC State 63
Olivia Olson had 27 points and Syla Swords pumped in 26 points as the second-seeded Wolverines benefited from a huge second half to pull away in the Fort Worth Region 3 second-round game at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Mila Holloway contributed 13 points and nine rebounds for Michigan (27-6), which faces the winner of Monday’s Alabama-Louisville game later in the week.
Zamareya Jones recorded 16 points, nine assists and four blocks for NC State (21-11), which she also committed seven of the Wolfpack’s 22 turnovers that Michigan turned into 35 points. Khamil Pierre added 15 points for NC State and Devyn Quigley notched 11 points.
NC State played without All-Atlantic Coast Conference guard Zoe Brooks, who was out with a lower-body injury. The Wolfpack were denied a third consecutive spot in the Sweet 16.
Michigan led 28-25 at halftime before cranking out 32 points in both the third and fourth quarters.
Swords finished with four of Michigan’s 10 baskets from 3-point range. The Wolverines committed only six turnovers.
Michigan won for the 16th time in 17 home games this season.
No. 2 LSU 101, No. 7 Texas Tech 47
Behind 24 points from both Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, the Tigers dominated the middle quarters to wreck the Red Raiders in Sacramento Region 2 second-round action in Baton Rouge, La.
Ahead 19-14 at the end of the first quarter, LSU (29-5) outscored Texas Tech 57-18 over the second and third quarters to advance to its fourth straight Sweet 16. The Tigers had three runs of 12-plus straight points in these middle frames.
Amiya Joyner (11 points and 11 rebounds) and Kate Koval (10 points, 10 boards) each finished with double-doubles for LSU, which shot 56.5% from the floor and outscored the Red Raiders 46-12 in the paint.
Leading scorer Bailey Maupin tallied 19 points for Texas Tech (26-8) but was 5-of-20 from the floor and 3-of-13 from 3-point range. The Red Raiders finished 25.4% from the floor and 22.2% (8 of 36) from outside the arc, coming up a win short of their first Sweet 16 berth since 2005.
No. 4 North Carolina 74, No. 5 Maryland 66
Elina Aarnisalo poured in 21 points — one shy of her career high — and Lanie Grant had 20 points as the Tar Heels pulled out a 74-66 victory against the Terrapins in a Fort Worth Region 1 second-round game in Chapel Hill, N.C.
North Carolina (28-7) goes to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. The Tar Heels will take on Monday’s Syracuse-Connecticut winner later in the week in Fort Worth, Texas.
Nyla Harris had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Tar Heels while Indya Nivar shrugged off foul trouble to finish with 11 points.
Oluchi Okananwa racked up 21 points for Maryland (24-9), but she was just 3-for-11 on free throws. Addi Mack had 13 points, Mir McLean supplied 12 points and 14 rebounds and Kyndal Walker notched 10 points.
The Terrapins shot 3-for-23 from 3-point range and 17 of 31 at the line, so even collecting 21 offensive rebounds wasn’t enough.
North Carolina led 42-33 at halftime, but Maryland scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to claim a 52-50 lead.
–Field Level Media
