UConn reaches Sweet 16 with 34th victory in row
Napheesa Collier scored 23 and top-seeded UConn beat in-state neighbor Quinnipiac 71-46 on Monday night to advance to a 25th straight Sweet 16.
Azura Stevens added 14 points and Kia Nurse chipped in 13 for the host Huskies (34-0), who found themselves in a much slower-paced game than their 140-52 firstround rout of Saint Francis (Pa.).
Connecticut was not threatened in this one either. It opened with a 9-2 run and never trailed.
The Huskies’ 34-game winning streak is the 12th longest in NCAA history. UConn’s seniors will end their careers undefeated (79-0) at home.
Jen Fay had 12 points to lead the ninth-seeded Bobcats (28-6), whose school-record 23-game winning streak was snapped.
Quinnipiac got plenty of open looks, but hit just 4 of 24 shots from threepoint range, including just 1 of 12 in the first half.
UConn will face fifthseeded Duke in regional semifinal in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday.
Duke 66, Georgia 40: In Athens, Ga., Leaonna Odom scored 16 points and the Blue Devils (24-8) won behind a dominant defense, holding the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (26-7) to two second-quarter points. Lexie Brown and Erin Mathias each had 14 points for Duke.
Buffalo In Tallahassee, 86, Florida Fla., Cierra State 65: Dillard scored 22 points and the 11th-seeded Bulls (29-5) beat the third-seeded Seminoles (26-7) to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time. Buffalo, one of the last four teams to earn an at-large berth in the 64-team field, shot 47.4 percent from the field and went 24-for-26 from the foul line. Buffalo will face secondseeded South Carolina in the Sweet 16 in Albany on Saturday.
SPOKANE REGIONAL
Central Michigan 95, Ohio State 78: In Columbus, Ohio, Presley Hudson scored 28 points as the 11th-seeded Chippewas (29-4) stunned the third-seeded Buckeyes (28-7). Central Michigan had not won an NCAA Tournament game until it defeated fifth-seeded LSU on Saturday. The Chippewas advance to face secondseeded Oregon in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday.
KANSAS CITY REGIONAL
Mississippi State 71, Oklahoma State 56: In Starkville, Miss., Victoria Vivians scored 23 points, Teaira McCowan added 21 points and 18 rebounds and the top-seeded Bulldogs (34-1) defeated the ninth-seeded Cowgirls (21-11) to advance to face fourthseeded North Carolina State in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday.
UCLA 86, Creighton 64: Jordin Canada scored 21 points and Japreece Dean added 16 to lead the third-seeded Bruins (26-7) at home. UCLA reached the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year and advanced to face second-seeded Texas on Friday. Audrey Faber led the 11th-seeded Bluejays (19-13) with 20 points.
Texas Lashann points 85, and Higgs Arizona Brooke scored McCarty State 19 65: added (28-6) 15 as the beat host the Longhorns seventh-seeded Sun Devils (2213). Higgs scored 15 points in the first half, then McCarty took over in the third quarter with 10 points in a 14-2 run that pushed the Longhorns to a big lead. Kianna Ibis scored 27 points for Arizona State.