NCAA women’s basketball tournament roundup

• Teaira McCowan had 23 points and 21 rebounds, Victoria Vivans added 24 points and top-seeded Mississippi State beat relentless UCLA, 89-73, on March 25 in Kansas City, Mo., to reach its second straight Final Four.

Morgan William added 17 points, and Roshunda Johnson had 12 for the Bulldogs (36-1), who blew a good chunk of an 18-point second-half lead before hanging on to extend their school record for wins in a season — and lock up a trip to the national semifinals in Columbus.

They’ll meet another No. 1 seed in Louisville on March 30.

Jordin Canada led the thirdseeded Bruins (27-8) with 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Japreece Dean finished with 16 points, and Monique Billings and Kennedy Burke had 12 apiece, most of it coming when the Bruins were trying to rally from a 50-32 hole.

They closed within 74-68 on Dean’s 3-pointer with 2:53 left, but they couldn’t get a stop on the defensive end. Instead, they traded basket-for-basket down the stretch, and Mississippi State managed to clinch the win from the foul line in the final minute.

Early on, the Bulldogs followed the same formula they used in routing North Carolina State, dumping it into the much larger McCowan for easy baskets inside. The 6-foot-7 center, who had 24points in that regional semifinal, scored six during an 11-0run that gave her team the lead.

Vivians gave the Bulldogs control.

• Asia Durr scored 18 points, Myisha Hines-Allen added 16 and Louisville earned its first Final Four berth since 2013 with a 76-43 rout of No. 6 seed Oregon State in the Lexington Region final.

Louisville players proudly strutted around the court in championship T-shirts and hats, some adorned with a little piece of the net.

Cardinals coach Jeff Walz brushed off confetti dumped on him during an interview to climb the ladder and clip the rest of the nylon, happily twirling it to celebrate his top-seeded team’s dominant run through the NCAA Tournament Lexington regional.

“It’s a great feeling,” Walz said. “I’m going to go home, and my 4 1⁄2-year-old and my 2 1⁄2-year-old (daughters), all they’re going to talk about is the confetti on the floor. That’s all they care about. To them, if we win, there’s confetti on the floor that I get to play on.”

Louisville’s next quest is collecting another net and more confetti in next weekend’s women’s Final Four in Columbus.