The clock has yet to strike midnight for the Oregon Ducks in the 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The No. 10 seed in the Bridgeport, Conn. Region advanced to the program’s first Elite Eight with a 77-63 win over No. 3 Maryland. Oregon was led by its freshmen Sabrina Ionescu (21 points and seven rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard (16 points and eight rebounds).
“We’re just excited about everything,” Ionescu said, according to ESPN.com. “None of our kids have experienced anything like this. So, I think we’re just excited to advance and be able play another day and see where that takes us.”
The Ducks become the third double-digit seed ever to make it to the Elite Eight, joining Lamar in 1991 and Gonzaga in 2011. Oregon head coach Kelly Graves coached that Gonzaga team.
The other double-digit seed that had that opportunity this year was Quinnipiac, the No. 12 seed in the Stockton Calif. Region. The Bobcats were overmatched by top-seeded South Carolina 100-58. The Gamecocks scored the first 16 points of the game. Kaela Davis notched a game-high 28 points, and A’ja Wilson recorded 24 points.
In the other semifinal in Stockton, No. 3 Florida State beat No. 2 Oregon State 66-53. The Seminoles trailed by five at halftime and then outscored the Beavers 38-16 in the second half. Florida State forced 23 Oregon State turnovers.
The Ducks will now test their fate against Connecticut, the overall No. 1 seed. The Huskies prevailed 86-71 over No. 4 UCLA. The Huskies have won 110 consecutive games. Four UConn players tallied double figures.
UCLA senior Kari Korver tied the program record for career 3-pointers with five trifectas for 15 points. She finishes her career with 256 treys.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma claimed his 112th NCAA Tournament win, which ties him with Tennessee legend Pat Summitt.
In the other two regions, the No. 1 and 2 seeds advanced.
In the Lexington, Ky. Region, No. 1 Notre Dame beat No. 5 Ohio State 99-76. Six Irish players were in double figures. Arike Ogunbowale had 35 points and nine rebounds. Kathryn Westbeld posted 16 points and 10 assists. Lindsay Allen amassed 10 points and 11 rebounds.
No. 2 Stanford topped No. 3 Texas 77-66. The Cardinal trailed 36-29 at halftime and then outscored the Longhorns 48-30 in the second half.
“I’m really proud of our second-half effort,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said, according to ESPN.com. “We really had to battle.”
In the Oklahoma City Region, No. 1 Baylor blew out No. 4 Louisville 97-63. The Bears dominated right out of the gate and led 25-9 at the end of the first quarter. Through three NCAA Tournament games, Baylor is averaging 100.7 points per contest.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Mississippi State topped No. 3 Washington 75-64. The Bulldogs outscored the Huskies 27-14 in the fourth quarter. Teaira McCowan had a monster game with 26 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks.
This was the final game in the collegiate career of Washington star Kelsey Plum. She tallied 29 points, five rebounds and five assists. Plum finishes her career with 3,527 points – the most in NCAA history.
Looking ahead:
Each of the regional final match-ups have compelling storylines. One to look out for is the Lexington Region. Notre Dame and Stanford are historic programs and have been among the best teams over the last decade. Notre Dame has been to the Final Four in five of the last six years. Stanford has advanced to the Final Four in six of the last nine seasons.