Bueckers’ 20 gets Auriemma another Sweet 16 on B-Day

Once Paige Bueckers and UConn got rolling, Syracuse couldn’t stop them and now the Huskies are heading back to a familiar place — the Sweet 16.

Bueckers scored 16 of her 20 points in the first half and Aaliyah Edwards added 19 to help No. 1 seed UConn beat eighth-seeded Syracuse 83-47 on Tuesday night in San Antonio and advance to the regional semifinals of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the 27th straight season.

“It’s funny I can still remember the very first one we went to. The Husky dog was carrying the suitcase,” UConn coach Chris Dailey said. “It says everything about our players and type of players we have.”

The Huskies were missing coach Geno Auriemma for the second straight game, who is recovering from COVID-19. Dailey filled in for the Hall of Fame coach, who celebrated his 67th birthday on Tuesday and should rejoin the team Wednesday.

“Happy birthday Coach, if you’re watching. Get your butt here tomorrow,” Bueckers said. “We’re excited to see you.”

Michigan 70, Tennessee 55

Leigha Brown scored 23 points and Naz Hillmon added 19 to lead No. 6 seed Michigan to its first Sweet 16 appearance with a 70-55 win over third-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday in the women’s NCAA Tournament in San Antonio. The Wolverines had been 0-5 in the second round before pulling off the victory over the Lady Vols.

N.C. State 79, South Florida 67

Jakia Brown-Turner scored 19 points and topseeded North Carolina State shrugged off a challenge from No. 8 South Florida with a big third quarter, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 79-67 win.

Jada Boyd added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack (22-2), who reached their third straight regional semifinal and 14th overall.

USF (19-4) led by a point early in the third quarter before N.C. State used two big runs to pull away and take a 12-point lead into the fourth.

Iowa 86, Kentucky 72

Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark finished with 35 points after outscoring Kentucky on her own in the first half, and the fifth-seeded Hawkeyes advanced to the women’s NCAA Sweet 16 with a 86-72 victory.

The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes (20-9) scored the game’s first 11 points and led throughout to advance past the second round for only the third time in their 14 NCAA appearances.

Stanford 73, Oklahoma State 62

Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford unleashed another barrage of 3-pointers as the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament booked yet another trip to the Sweet 16 with a 73-62 win over No. 8 Oklahoma State.

Georgia Tech 73, West Virginia 56

Lotta-Maj Lahtinen scored 22 points, Lorela Cubaj had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 5 seed Georgia Tech used a big third quarter to beat No. 4 West Virginia 73-56. —