The 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament continues Saturday with four more Sweet 16 games.
Four teams — Miami, LSU, Iowa and Louisville advanced to the Elite Eight on Friday.
No. 2 Maryland is set to take on No. 3 Notre Dame in Greenville, South Carolina. Following that, 4-seed UCLA faces powerhouse 1-seed South Carolina at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Closing things out in Seattle, there will be another No. 2 vs. No. 3 battle, when UConn goes up against Ohio State at 4 p.m. ET, while No. 1 Virginia Tech challenges No. 4 Tennessee in the evening’s final matchup at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Here are the top plays!
No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
What a start!
On the first possession of the game, Maryland’s Elisa Pinzan got a steal and passed the ball up to Faith Masonius for the layup.
Irish creating separation!
Notre Dame began pulling away from Maryland in the second quarter, with this bucket jump-starting an 13-0 run.
Hustle plays win games!
After the Irish’s 13-0 run, Maryland used this play by Abby Meyers to generate a run of their own to make narrow the margin.
We have a close one at halftime!
Notre Dame’s 13-0 run to start the second quarter gave them control of the game, but Maryland fought back right before the half, bringing the Fighting Irish’s lead to 32-31 at halftime.
COMING UP:
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 UCLA (2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Ohio State (4 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 4 Tennessee (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Louisville 72, Ole Miss 62
Blow a kiss
Hailey Van Lith hit a deep jumper before blowing a kiss to the crowd.
Three of ’em
Ole Miss took a two-point advantage with just under three minutes to play in the second quarter on a pretty 3 from Myah Taylor, but the Cardinals held their opponent scoreless for the remainder of the half, leading 34-29 after two quarters.
Going dancing
This is the big dance, and Angel Baker brought her dancing shoes. She lost her defender with a smooth twisting move, and floated in a two.
The Cardinals led 52-42 after the third quarter, going up double-digits on this trey from Merissah Russell.
Louisville held on to win, 72-62, sending the Cardinals to the Elite Eight!
Iowa 87, Colorado 77
Early run
Frida Formann led the Buffs early in the game as Colorado went on a 12-3 run in the first quarter.
Frida Friday
Formann was dominant with 17 points in first half, keeping the score tight by sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
Tempo in transition
Iowa kept it close as the first half ended, with a steal by Sydney Affolter setting up Gabbie Marshall for the lay-up to catch up to Colorado’s 40-39 lead at halftime.
Hawkeyes on the hunt
The Hawkeyes stormed back in the second half, going on a 6-0 run to take the game back with a 47-42 lead.
Quay trey
JaQuaya Miller threw up three fingers in celebration as she knocked down a pivotal 3 to slim the Hawkeyes’ lead to six points midway through the fourth quarter.
Iowa staved off the Buffs’ comeback attempt though, defeating Colorado 87-77 to secure a spot in the Elite Eight.
LSU 66, Utah 63
Looking at you, LSU
The Tigers blazed ahead in the opening minutes of the game, going on a 7-0 run to establish an early lead.
Utes answer
The second-seeded Utes bounced back to keep the score close, and the first quarter closed at an even 16-16.
Catching up
LSU’s LaDazhia Williams spun off the defender for the bucket as the Tigers trailed by five.
Patience is rewarded
Issy Palmer’s patience paid off when she found the open lane to the basket, breaking the Utes out of a 25-25 stalemate. At the end of the first half, Utah led 33-29.
Point for point
The Tigers and Utes kept this game close throughout the third quarter. Williams made it look easy with this basket to tie the game again at 37-37.
Pure gas
Palmer drilled a deep 3-pointer to give the Utes the lead at the end of a back-and-forth third quarter with nonstop action.
No brakes
LaDazhia Williams plowed through Utah’s defense on the way to a 55-52 lead in her highest-scoring game of the season.
Tigers take the W
In a nail-biting final stretch, the LSU Tigers held on to edge the Utes in a 66-63 victory that will send them to the Elite Eight!
Miami (FL) 70, Villanova 65
Slinging heat
The Villanova Wildcats started strong as Lucy Olsen slung a baseline pass over to Christina Dalcee, who capitalized to make it 6-4.
Maddy madness
The Wildcats all-time leading scorer Maddy Siegrist began heating up early on in the game, leading Villanova with nine points in the first quarter.
Canes mean business
But the Canes, who toppled a top-seeded Indiana squad to get to the Sweet 16, had no intention of rolling over. Jasmyne Roberts got wide open at the net and increased the Canes’ lead to 23-17.
Stolen away
Back-to-back buckets from Siegrist and Bella Runyan, who barreled to the basket following a steal, helped the Wildcats trim Miami’s lead in the second quarter.
Holding the lead
The Canes kept a firm grip on their lead through the first half, entering halftime at 46-33, thanks to smooth shots like this by Ja’Leah Williams.
Record-breaking
Siegrist’s dominant performance brought Villanova back into the game, trailing 57-50 at the end of the third quarter. She broke the record for the longest streak of consecutive 20-point games in Division I basketball this century.
Wildcat comeback!
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats came back from 21 points down to take the lead, 60-59, with five minutes left in the game.
Canes storm through
Despite the Wildcat’s late-game push, the Canes kept their edge as Roberts landed another clutch bucket in the final minute of the game to regain the lead, 66-65.
Miami victory!
The Canes punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history with an exciting 70-65 victory.
Ole Miss vs. Louisville
Read more:
Get more from Women’s College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
