Mississippi State fells Washington

Bulldogs going to Elite Eight for first time; Baylor beats Louisville

Teaira McCowan scored 20 of her career-high 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Mississippi State defeated Washington 75-64 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time.

McCowan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore center who entered the game averaging just over eight points per game, made nine of 10 field goals in the final 10 minutes. She scored 11 points in the first 2:33 of the fourth quarter to turn a two-point deficit into a seven-point lead for the second-seeded Bulldogs (32-4).

Kelsey Plum scored 29 points, and Chantel Osahor added 17 points and 11 rebounds in their final games for third-seeded Washington, (29-6). Baylor 97, Louisville 63: Nina Davis scored 21 points to help the top-seeded Lady Bears advance to the Elite Eight.

Baylor was a No. 1 seed in 2013, when they lost to Louisville in the Sweet 16. They played much better defense this time, holding fourth-seeded Louisville to

30 percent shooting.

Beatrice Mompremier and Alexis Prince each scored 14 points for Baylor (33-3), which advanced to play Mississippi State on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. Asia Durr scored 21 points for Louisville (298).

UConn-UCLA: UCLA coach Cori Close came to UConn in the spring a few years ago to learn from Geno Auriemma and his staff.

She had such a great experience that she returned three more times, including once with her staff.

“They are interested in growing the game, not just growing UConn,” Close said. “I’m a big believer that you have to learn from the best, and I’ve gone back four times. We spent three days watching practice. They were so gracious to let us pick their brains. It was a great experience.”

Close will try to put her time at UConn to good use when the Bruins face the Huskies on Saturday in the NCAA tournament. At stake in the fourthever meeting between the programs is a spot in the Bridgeport Regional final.

While there might not be much history between the programs, the schools are linked by the UConn women topping the UCLA men’s record 88-game winning streak in 2010.