INSIDER
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1st-timer Arizona joins mainstays in women's NCAA Final Four
Read full article: 1st-timer Arizona joins mainstays in women's NCAA Final Four(AP Photo/Eric Gay)Arizona has been having fun and playing good basketball, all the way to its first women's NCAA Final Four. The 11-time national champions are making their 13th consecutive Final Four appearance and 21st overall for coach Geno Auriemma. The Cardinal's first Final Four since 2017 is their 14th overall, trailing only to UConn and Tennessee's 18. The Wildcats hadn't even been in the women's NCAA Tournament since 2005, though they would have made it last year with a 24-7 record before the tourney was canceled because of the pandemic. Stanford is in its 34th consecutive women's NCAA Tournament, with Tara VanDerveer in her record 35th overall as a coach.
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Stanford rallies to beat Louisville 78-63, reach Final Four
Read full article: Stanford rallies to beat Louisville 78-63, reach Final FourLexie Hull had 21 points, Ashten Prechtel scored each of her 16 in the second half and Stanford reached the Final Four by rallying for a 78-63 victory over Louisville on Tuesday night. “To play a second half and beat them by 27 really says a lot about how hard people were playing,” VanDerveer said. Stanford dropped that one 62-53, ending its previous appearance in the Final Four. Stanford (29-2) trailed by 12 midway through the third quarter before scoring 13 consecutive points to take its first lead since early in the game. We weren’t aggressive enough.”AdThe Cardinal got going in the second half and made six of their final eight 3-point attempts.
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South Carolina drubs Texas 62-34 to reach Final Four
Read full article: South Carolina drubs Texas 62-34 to reach Final Four(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – One by one, South Carolina players walked through the confetti and climbed the ladder to cut down the net in the Alamodome. Zia Cooke scored 16 points and South Carolina used its stifling defense to advance to the Final Four for the third time, shutting down Texas for a 62-34 victory Tuesday night. Top-seeded South Carolina blocked 14 shots, nine by Laeticia Amihere, and held No. “It says they're locked in,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. South Carolina answered with a 3-pointer from Henderson to start the Gamecocks on the run that would put the game away.
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McDonald powers Arizona past Indiana and into Final Four
Read full article: McDonald powers Arizona past Indiana and into Final Four(AP Photo/Morry Gash)SAN ANTONIO – Aari McDonald scored 33 points and No. 4 Indiana 66-53 on Monday night to earn its first trip to the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament. Arizona (20-5) advanced to Friday’s national semifinal against top-seeded UConn, which reached its 13th straight Final Four when it beat No. But McDonald banked in a long 3-pointer to beat the shot clock early in the quarter and Arizona led 27-23 at halftime. McDonald ripped a rebound from the hands of an Indiana player and an easy layup sent Arizona into the fourth leading 46-44.
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UConn reaches 13th straight Final Four, beating Baylor 69-67
Read full article: UConn reaches 13th straight Final Four, beating Baylor 69-67Bueckers scored 28 points and top seed UConn used a huge run spanning the final two quarters to beat No. 2 Baylor 69-67 on Monday night and reach a 13th consecutive Final Four in the women’s NCAA Tournament. After a timeout, Baylor fouled Christyn Williams, who missed both free throws to give the Lady Bears one last chance. The Lady Bears (28-3) had won the previous two, including a 74-58 win at Connecticut in January of 2020. The Lady Bears closed the action-packed first quarter with a 20-10 run and trailed 26-24 after one.
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Baylor coach calls for end of COVID-19 testing at NCAAs
Read full article: Baylor coach calls for end of COVID-19 testing at NCAAsAs of Saturday, there had been two confirmed positive tests at the women's tournament with over 15,400 administered. PAC-12 STRENGTHThe Pac-12 is showcasing its strength at the NCAA Tournament in both the men’s and women’s events. Six conference teams qualified for the women’s tournament: Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Washington State and UCLA. And it’s led to some mutual support: Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer has been texting Oregon State men’s coach Wayne Tinkle, among others. Night in and night out in the Pac-12, we’re playing teams like Stanford, UCLA, great teams, Oregon State, Oregon.
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Louisville beats Oregon 60-42, heads to women's Elite Eight
Read full article: Louisville beats Oregon 60-42, heads to women's Elite Eight2 seed Cardinals advanced to the regional final of the women's NCAA Tournament for the third straight time with a 60-42 win over sixth-seeded Oregon on Sunday night. She hadn’t scored more than 15 points in any of the five ACC or NCAA Tournament games before Sunday. Louisville (26-3) continued its stellar defensive play, holding Oregon (15-9) to 14 points in the first half, including six in the second quarter. The Ducks had struggled heading into the NCAA Tournament, dropping five of six before getting to Texas. Louisville didn't light it up early this time, either, but managed a 10-8 lead after the opening quarter.
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Stanford romps into Elite Eight, 89-62 over Missouri State
Read full article: Stanford romps into Elite Eight, 89-62 over Missouri State(AP Photo/Morry Gash)SAN ANTONIO – Missouri State had waited two years to get another crack at the Sweet 16 and Stanford, only to watch the Cardinal turn their rematch into a romp. 5 Lady Bears 89-62 to earn a spot in the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament for the 21st time. Elle Ruffridge scored 18 points to lead Missouri State (23-3), a team with a history of punching above its status as a mid-major from the Missouri Valley Conference. And Missouri State was hungry to push for even bigger things after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament and abruptly ended a 26-4 season. “Every game we’ve been down, we’ve always come back,” Missouri State coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said.
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South Carolina beats Georgia Tech 76-65 to reach Elite Eight
Read full article: South Carolina beats Georgia Tech 76-65 to reach Elite Eight(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO – Zia Cooke and her South Carolina teammates were hot from the outside and rode that solid shooting to reach the Elite Eight. Cooke scored 17 points, hitting five of six 3-point attempts, to lead top-seed South Carolina to a 76-65 win over fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Sunday and reach the Elite Eight. The South Carolina coach praised Fortner's positivity, which is something Georgia Tech needed when they hired her in 2019. Fortner provided that and had Georgia Tech reach its second-ever Sweet 16 in her second season. South Carolina built a 10-point lead before Georgia Tech scored the final six points of the half to only trail 39-35 at the break.
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Nixon's overtime bank shot sends Texas A&M past Iowa State
Read full article: Nixon's overtime bank shot sends Texas A&M past Iowa State2 Texas A&M to an 84-82 victory over seventh-seeded Iowa State on Wednesday. “You’re just trying to keep the ball in front of you and she’s a really hard kid to keep in front," Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “I’m so impressed with Iowa State," he said. ODDS & ENDSTexas A&M outscored Iowa State 44-18 in the paint. ... Iowa State outrebounded Texas A&M 50-38.
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Michigan women reach Sweet 16 for first time, beat Tennessee
Read full article: Michigan women reach Sweet 16 for first time, beat Tennessee6 seed Michigan to its first regional semifinals appearance with a 70-55 win over third-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday in the women's NCAA Tournament. It's great to see Michigan is not only a football and men's basketball school, but also a women’s basketball school,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. The Lady Vols missed their final seven shots of the period and ended their drought 1:18 into the third quarter. The Lady Vols' deficit grew to 17 points as Michigan went on a 22-7 run spanning the quarters. Rennia Davis scored 12 points to lead the Lady Vols, who were playing Michigan for the first time.
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Lewis, Alabama women win in return to NCAA tourney, top UNC
Read full article: Lewis, Alabama women win in return to NCAA tourney, top UNC10 seed North Carolina 80-71 on Monday in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament. “The world saw today why Jordan Lewis is the best point guard in the SEC,” Alabama coach Kristy Curry said. The Crimson Tide made eight straight trips to the NCAAs from 1992-99 that included a run to the Final Four in 1994. Ad“Jordan Lewis was a woman amongst children at times,” North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart said. The Crimson Tide did more than just hold its own with a 46-33 advantage in rebounds.