Missouri State advances, faces Stanford in Sweet 16 rematch
SAN ANTONIO — Another sweet season for Elle Ruffridge and Missouri State.
Ruffridge had 20 points with five 3pointers, Jasmine Franklin had a doubledouble and the fifthseeded Lady Bears are going to their second consecutive Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off Wright State 6439 in matchup of midmajor teams Wednesday.
“It feels amazing. I cannot tell you how much I love this team,” Ruffridge said. “We have been waiting since 2019 to punch our ticket back. I’m just speechless right now.”
Ruffridge and Franklin are among nine current Missouri State players who were also part of the Sweet 16 team two years ago, though they have a different head coach. In 2019, the Lady Bears (232) lost 5546 to Stanford, the same team they will play in the Alamo Region semifinal Sunday.
“We’re going to enjoy this one. Making it to the Sweet 16 is not easy,” secondyear Missouri State head coach Amaka AguguaHamilton said. “There are so many teams that would love to be in this position. We are not taking that for granted at all. So we’re going to enjoy this. We’re going to enjoy each other. That’s what we do, we enjoy the journey.
“Obviously, we’re going to be prepared.”
The Lady Bears took control in the second half when Ruffridge had 17 of her points. Franklin finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The 13thseeded Raiders (198) were outscored 4020 after halftime and outrebounded 4731 overall. They had gotten their firstever NCAA Tournament victory against Arkansas in the first round Monday.
Oregon 57, Georgia 50: Sedona Prince scored 22 points, Nyara Sabally took control late and the sixthseeded Ducks (158) beat the Bulldogs (217) for their fourth straight appearance in the Sweet 16. Sabally scored six straight points — including two on a putback of her missed shot — to break open a tie game and give the Ducks a 5448 lead with less than a minute to go. She finished with 15 points, including 10 in the second half, and nine rebounds. The Ducks next face Louisville, a No. 2 seed.
Louisville 62, Northwestern 53: Former Cal guard Kianna Smith scored 16 points and the Cardinals (253) rallied from an early 18point deficit to beat the seventhseeded Wildcats (169). Louisville trailed 257 late in the first quarter and 4028 midway through the third period before the Cardinals scored 17 straight points.