Michigan earns first trip to the Sweet 16

It’s been a season of firsts for Michigan, and now the Wolverines can add a trip to the Sweet 16 to that list.

Leigha Brown scored 23 points and Naz Hillmon added 19 to lead No. 6 seed Michigan to its first regional semifinals appearance with a 7055 win over third-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday in the women’s NCAA tournament in San Antonio.

“It’s amazing, we’ve been having a lot of firsts on our team,” Hillmon said. “For our program, this is another one. We drenched coach in the locker room.”

The Wolverines had been 0-5 in the second round before pulling off the victory over the Lady Vols.

As the final buzzer sounded, the Michigan players jumped into a group hug at center court and sang “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine.”

“It’s great for our university, great for the state of Michigan. 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.

Connecticut 83, Syracuse 47: Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 19 to help the No. 1-seeded Huskies beat the eighth-seeded Orange and advance to the Sweet 16.

Stanford 73, Oklahoma State 62: Haley Jones scored 17 points and the Cardinal unleashed another barrage of three-pointers as the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament booked yet another trip to the Sweet 16.

South Carolina 59, Oregon State 42: Aliyah Boston scored 19 points and the topseeded Gamecocks dominated after a close first quarter to beat the eighth-seeded Beavers, advancing to their seventh straight Sweet 16.

Baylor 90, Virginia Tech 48: Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington both had 21 points as the reigning national champion Bears advanced to their 12th consecutive Sweet 16, beating the Hokies.

North Carolina State 79, South Florida 67: Jakia Brown-Turner scored 19 points and the top-seeded Wolfpack shrugged off a challenge from the No. 8 Bulls with a big third quarter.

Iowa 86, Kentucky 72: Hawkeyes freshman Caitlin Clark finished with 35 points after outscoring the Wildcats on her own in the first half, and fifth-seeded Iowa advanced to the Sweet 16.

Georgia Tech 73, West Virginia 56: Lotta-Maj Lahtinen scored 22 points, Lorela Cubaj had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the No. 5-seeded Yellow Jackets used a big third quarter to beat the Mountaineers in the second round.