Top seeds hold serve, mostly

Three of the No. 1 seeds and a pair of two seeds find themselves in the regional finals after wins in the Sweet 16. The River Walk and the Alamo regions are coming down to the top two seeds.

Paige Bueckers
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 27: Connecticut takes on Iowa in the Sweet 16 at Alamodome on March 27, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Top-seed UConn topped No. 5 Iowa 92-72 in the battle of the star freshmen. Paige Bueckers just missed a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Caitlin Clark poured in 21 points. Christyn Williams tallied a game-high 27 points for the Huskies.

They advance to play second-seeded Baylor. The Bears needed overtime to defeat No. 6 Michigan 78-75. The Wolverines made a furious comeback as they outscored Baylor by seven points in the fourth quarter.

Stanford, the tournament’s top overall seed, beat No. 5 Missouri State 89-62 behind 15 3-pointers. Hannah Jump led the way for the Cardinal with 17 points.

SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 28: The Louisville Cardinals take on the Oregon Ducks in the Sweet Sixteen Round of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Alamodome on March 28, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, No. 2 Louisville beat No. 6 Oregon 60-42 behind Dana Evans, who tied a career-high with 29 points. She shot 11-of-21 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from deep. She had shot 31% over her previous five contests.

The other top-seed to advance was South Carolina, who edged five-seed Georgia Tech 76-65. The Gamecocks outscored the Yellow Jackets by eight in the third quarter. Aliyah Boston scored all nine of her points after halftime. Zia Cooke scored a team-high 17 points.

The Gamecocks will now play No. 6 Texas, who quieted the Maryland offense and won 64-61. The second-seeded Terrapins, who led the nation with more than 91 points per game, were limited to a season-low point total. Charlie Collier paced the Longhorns with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The only one-seed to fail to reach the Elite Eight is NC State, who fell to No. 4 Indiana 73-70. The Wolfpack trailed by 10 entering the fourth quarter and pulled to within two in the final minute but did not get any closer. Elissa Cunane tried a game-tying three at the end, but it did not fall. All five Hoosiers starters reached double figures.

Aari McDonald
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 27: in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at the at Alamodome on March 27, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

They will now face No. 3 Arizona. The Wildcats upset No. 2 Texas A&M 74-59 behind a big third quarter in which they outscored the Aggies by 10. Aari McDonald scored 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 6-of-12 from 3-point land in her 90th straight game in double figures.

Both Arizona and Indiana will be in search of their first Final Four appearance. The regional finals are set for Monday and Tuesday nights.

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