The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
NCAA tournament roundup
WOMEN
• Oregon State’s bigs played huge and the Beavers held Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo in check to advance to the program’s first regional final in six years.
Timea Gardiner scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, while Raegan Beers added 18 points and 13 boards in the 70-65 win over the second-seeded Irish. Donovyn Hunter added 11 points for the third-seeded Beavers (27-7), who will face overall top-seed South Carolina on March 31.
Oregon State shot 60% from the floor, while keeping Notre Dame to 36% and outrebounding the Irish 42-24.
“All of us over the spring, over the summer and into this year we came in with the mindset of understanding what we needed to accomplish defensively in order to win those close games,” Gardiner said. “So this year that core group, we know what it takes now. So we know what it takes to win. We’re obviously doing it, so it’s super fun.”
• With South Carolina’s perfect season on the line, Coach Dawn Staley had total faith that Raven Johnson would make the necessary plays for her team. Johnson did just that, hitting a huge 3-pointer in the final minute to help the top-seeded Gamecocks remain unbeaten with a 79-75 over Indiana.
“I saw Raven’s eyes coming down the stretch as our lead was diminishing and I knew she wasn’t going to let us lose,” Staley said. “She was going to do something. She had two big baskets.”
Johnson’s 3came after South Carolina nearly blew a 22-point lead in the second half. The advantage was down to 74-72 when Staley called timeout to set up a play that was supposed to go to Kamilla Cardoso, who led the team with 22 points. The Gameacocks’ star center was being double-teamed when she caught the ball, so she passed it to Johnson for the 3.
“I was open, and all I could think was, let it go. I don’t want to lose,” said Johnson, who scored 14points. “Just going from last year. Nobody can sag off me this year, and I take that very personal. And I get in the gym every day and put up reps and I think that’s where it comes from, the confidence.”
• Aziaha James had 29 points and third-seeded North Carolina State earned its third trip to the women’s Elite Eight with a 77-67victory over second-seeded Stanford. Saniya Rivers added 13points and seven rebounds for the Wolfpack (30-6), who fell behind by 10points but rallied in the third quarter and led by as many as 15points in the fourth quarter.
AP All-American Cameron Brink fouled out with 8:10left in the game. She finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in her final game for Stanford (30-6). Kiki Iriafen led the Cardinal with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Gonzaga-Texas game was not completed in time for this edition.
MEN
• DJ Horne scored 19points and North Carolina State kept its magical NCAA Tournament run alive, beating Marquette, 67-58, to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986. Casey Morsell added 15points and Mohamed Diarra had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Wolfpack, who have eight consecutive victories since the start of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, which they had to win even to be a part of March Madness.
On the 50th anniversary of N.C. State’s first national championship in 1974 — when the Wolfpack beat the Golden Eagles for the title — it’s beginning to look a lot like the second one in 1983.
• The Duke-Houston and Creighton-Tennessee games were not completed in time for this edition.