Michigan women knock off Tennessee, reach first Sweet 16

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Leigha Brown scored 23 points and Naz Hillmon added 19 to lead No. 6 seed Michigan to a 70-55 win over third-seeded Tennessee on Tuesday in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines had been 0-5 in the second round before pulling off the victory over the Lady Vols. Leading 18-16 with eight minutes left in the first half, Michigan (16-5) held Tennessee to just one field goal the rest of the second quarter and built a 28-19 halftime lead. Tennessee (17-8) trailed by 15 heading into the fourth quarter and didn’t get closer than nine. Hillmon, the Big Ten Player of the Year, also had 15 rebounds. A trip to the Sweet 16, where the Wolverines will face Baylor in the River Walk Region, was just another first this year. The team started 10-0 for the first time in school history. Michigan was also in the rankings all season for the first-time, as well as having Hillmon be the first player to earn All-America honors as a second-teamer. Rennia Davis scored 12 points to lead the Lady Vols, who were playing Michigan for the first time. BAYLOR 90, VIRGINIA TECH 48 Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington both had 21 points as reigning women’s national champion Baylor advanced to its 12th consecutive NCAA Sweet 16, beating Virginia Tech. Queen Egbo had 12 points and 13 rebounds, along with seven blocked shots for the Lady Bears (27-2). DiDi Richards had nine assists. All-America forward NaLyssa Smith finished with 15 points, all but two of those coming after halftime for Baylor. Georgia Amoore had 18 points with four 3-pointers to lead Virginia Tech (15-10), which had opened its first NCAA Tournament since 2006 with a win over Marquette. UCONN 83, SYRACUSE 47 Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 19 to help No. 1 seed UConn beat eighth-seeded Syracuse and advance to the Sweet 16. Once again the Huskies were missing coach Geno Auriemma, who is recovering from COVID-19. Chris Dailey filled in for the Hall of Fame coach, who celebrated his 67th birthday on Tuesday and could potentially rejoin the team this weekend for its next game. Bueckers, the freshman All-America guard, had 16 points in the first half for the Huskies (26-1). In the second half, the Huskies tore the Syracuse zone apart with precision passing that led to easy layups. The Huskies led 64-35 after three quarters and cruised into the Sweet 16 for the 27th straight year. They will play fifth-seeded Iowa next. Syracuse (15-9) was led by its own talented freshman in 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso. She had 12 points and seven rebounds. IOWA 86, KENTUCKY 72 Caitlin Clark finished with 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting and six 3-pointers after outscoring Kentucky on her own in the first half, and the Hawkeyes advanced to the Sweet 16. The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes (20-9) scored the game’s first 11 points – with all five starters getting a basket, Clark’s being a 3-pointer. They led throughout to advance past the second round for only the third time in their 14 NCAA appearances during Bluder’s 21 seasons. Two-time AP All-American guard Rhyne Howard finished with 28 points to lead the fourth-seeded Wildcats (18-9). She was 1 of 7 shooting in the first half, but finished 8 of 21 with five 3-pointers, along with eight assists. Dre’Una Edwards added 16 points and Jazmine Massengill 10. Monika Czinano added 14 points and McKenna Warnock 10 for the Hawkeyes. MERCADO REGION NORTH CAROLINA STATE 79, SOUTH FLORIDA 67 Jakia Brown-Turner scored 19 points and top-seeded North Carolina State shrugged off a challenge from No. 8 South Florida with a big third quarter, advancing to the Sweet 16.