As Women’s March Madness draws to an end, teams worked hard and pushed through struggles to bring home the trophy. Monday, March 24th marked the beginning of the Sweet 16 teams who made it through the weekend and continue fighting for a spot in the Elite Eight. The 16 teams who made it through are No.1 Southeastern South Carolina, No. 1 Big Ten UCLA, No. 1 Southeastern Texas, No. 1 Big Ten USC, No. 2 Atlantic Coast Duke, No. 2 Atlantic Coast NC State, No. 2 Big Twelve TCU, No. 2 Big East UConn, No. 3 Atlantic Coast North Carolina, No. 3 Southeastern LSU, No. 3 Atlantic Coast Notre Dame, No. 3 Southeastern Oklahoma, No. 4 Big Ten Maryland, No. 5 Southeastern Ole Miss, No. 5 Southeastern Tennessee, and No. 4 Big Twelve Kansas State. These games were full of passion and determination that contributed to them getting a spot in the Sweet 16.
The eight Women’s March Madness played on Sunday, March 23rd were Indiana v South Carolina, Richmond v UCLA, Oregon v Duke, Louisville v TCU, Michigan v Notre Dame, Kansas St v Kentucky, Ole Miss v Baylor, and Tennessee v Ohio State. South Carolina Gamecocks won against Indiana Hoosiers with Center Chloe Kitts conquering the boards with 11 rebounds that carried South Carolina to victory. UCLA won against the Richmond Spiders with Center Lauren Betts dominating the glass with 30 points and 14 rebounds to help bring UCLA to victory. UCLA Point Guard Kiki Rice crushed the opponents with 23 points and 7 assists. Although Richmond lost, Forward Maggie Doogan and Guard Rachel Ullstrom had an outstanding performance with Maggie having 27 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, and Rachel with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Duke Blue Devils won against Oregon Ducks with Guard Ashlon Jackson swishing buckets with 20 points for the Blue Devils. Oregon Center Phillipina Kyei dominated the glass with 14 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for them to win against Duke. The TCU Horned Frogs won against the Louisville Cardinals with Guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu having the leading points of 23 points. Although the Cardinals lost, Guard Jadya Curry had an unbelievable 41 points. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won against the Michigan Wolverines with Point Guard Hannah Hidalgo and Forward Liatu King crushing the opponents with Hannah getting 21 points and Liatu getting 18 points and 15 rebounds. Kansas State Wildcats beat the Kentucky Wildcats as Forward Temira Poindexter shot a three with 56 seconds left in overtime that brought Kentucky winning by one point. But with 3.2 seconds left in overtime, Guard Georgia Amoore missed the jumper that would have won the game. Forward Temira Poindexter missed her first six shots in the second round of March Madness but finished the game with 8 three-pointers that led Kansas to the Sweet 16. Ole Miss Rebels won against Baylor Bears with Guard Sira Thienou leading the Rebels with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Tennessee Lady Volunteers won against the Ohio State Buckeyes with Guard Talaysia Cooper with 19 points and 8 rebounds. She started on the bench, but that didn’t stop her from playing with passion and determination to win.
The eight Women’s March Madness played on Monday, March 24th were Illinois v Texas, Mississippi St v USC, Michigan St v NC State, S Dakota St v UConn, Iowa v Oklahoma, Florida St v LSU, West Virginia v North Carolina, and Alabama v Maryland. Texas Longhorns won against Illinois Fighting Illini with Forward Madison Booker and Guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda dominating the court with Madison having 20 points and 6 rebounds and Ndjakalenga having 19 points and 6 rebounds too. The USC Trojans won against Mississippi State Bulldogs with Forward Kiki Iriafen shooting bucket after bucket having a total of 36 points and 9 rebounds. During the game, starting with Point Guard JuJu Watkins with 4:43 left in the first quarter, USC got a steal and Juju ran up the court for a fast break layup when she fell to the ground in pain. She tore her ACL and had to be carried off by athletic trainers. This creates a problem for USC as they enter into the Elite Eight this weekend. The NC State Wolfpack won against the Michigan State Spartans with Guard Aziaha James dominating the court with 26 points and 6 rebounds. The Uconn Huskies won against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits with Point Guard Paige Bueckers dominating the hoop with an outstanding 34 points that led Uconn to victory. The Oklahoma Sooners won against the Iowa Hawkeyes with Forward Skylar Vann having the leading points with 17 points. Center Raegan Beers dominated the glass with 13 rebounds to help lead her team to victory. Although Iowa lost, Guard Lucy Olsen had an outstanding performance with 20 points. LSU Tigers won against Florida State Seminoles with Guard Mikaylah Williams, Forward Aneessah Morrow, and Forward Sa’myah Smith dominated the game with Mikaylah having 28 points, Aneessah having 26 points, 7 assists, and 11 rebounds, and Sa’myah having 20 points, 6 assists, and 12 rebounds. Ta’niya Latson had an incredible performance having 30 points and 7 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to beat LSU. North Carolina Tar Heels won against the West Virginia Mountaineers with Guard Alyssa Ustby and Indya Nivar conjuring the court with Alyssa having 21 points and 7 rebounds and Indya having 10 rebounds. The Maryland Terrapins won against the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2 overtime. Alabama Point Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker drove into the paint at 1.8 seconds left in the 2nd overtime when Michigan Point Guard Sarah Te-Biasu stole the ball and another teammate held the ball until the time went out. Maryland had a three-point lead over Alabama, so Maryland players started jumping up and down from excitement as they made it to the Elite Eight. Guard Shyanne Sellers, Guard Kaylene Smikle, Point Guard Sarah Te-Biasu, and Forward Allie Kubek dominated the court with Shyanne having 28 points, Kaylene having 24 points and 7 rebounds, Sarah having 26 points, and Allie having 19 points and 12 rebounds. Although Alabama lost in overtime, Sarah Ashlee Barker made bucket after bucket the entire game, having an outstanding 45 points.
The Elite Eight starts on March 28th, and the final game is getting closer and closer. The question still remains, “Who is going to win it all and bring home the trophy?”