The 2025 NCAA ladies tournament Continued Friday with the first day of Sweet 16 -action.
(Read more: 2025 Women’s March Madness Schedule: dates, locations, channels, how to look))
Duke Started the day with a vintage defensive version, while the second Blue Devils placed the third placed oppressed North Carolina. Then no. 1 seed South Carolina Continued his title defense when the GameCocks returned to keep up interrogating Maryland.
Now third placed Louisiana State tries to make his third straight elite eight appearance, but will have to go through no. 2 seeds North Carolina State To get there.
The best seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament, UCLAdop the night with his matchup against Ole Miss While De Bruins are trying to return to Elite 8 for the first time since 2018.
Here are all the greatest moments of day 1 Sweet 16:
No. 3 Seed LSU Vecht no. 2 Seed NC State
LSU And NC State I delivered another back and forth game, where the Wolfpack led 40-36 during the break. The Tigers had risen by no less than 11 points in the first quarter, but the Wolfpack fought back to take their first lead of the game in the second quarter. Zamareya Jones Came from the bank to pace the NC state with 11 points.
South Carolina Very scared of Maryland To continue to the fifth straight elite eight
Mailasia Fulwileia scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 2:22 about, and Chloe Kitts 15 points and 11 rebounds added to help no. 1 seed to defeat South Carolina Fourth placed Maryland 71-67 On Friday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for women.
The defensive national GameCocks champion went back and forth with the Terrapins All Game before he finally did enough in the last few minutes to store it.
South Carolina will be confronted Duke In the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Blue Devils previously defeated Atlantic Coast Conference North Carolina 47-38 on Friday.
The Dawn Staley team followed 60-59 with 3:25 before he held up Maryland Without a point over the next three minutes. The lay-up of Fulwiley started with the 7-0 run that gave the GameCocks (33-3) just enough of a pillow.
Kitts added three free throws during the sprint and Fulwiley scored on a coastal coast drive.
The GameCocks rose 66-60 with 25 seconds left when Saylor Poffenbarger ended the scoring drought of Maryland with A 3-Pointer.
But the terps could not get closer, because the Gamecocks made five of the six free throws the piece, including two from Fulwiley with 10.9 seconds that made it 71-65.
Kaylene Smikle scored 17 points to lead Maryland (25-8) before he polluted.
Neither of the teams could get into an attacking current in the first three quarters. South Carolina stood behind him late in the third 43-39 before he closed the period with a 13-7 run that was covered by a spectacular transition basket by Fulwiley, who went behind her back and then hit a pull-up shot.
The two teams had met each other once in the NCAA tournament, an 86-75 victory for South Carolina in the Elite Eight in 2023.
South Carolina avoided becoming the first defending champion, who lost so early in the tournament, since Louisville struck 16 Brittney Griner and Baylor in 2013.
Duke takes a rival UNC For a trip to the elite eight
Oluchi okanwa recorded her third Double-Double of the season to Leiden ACC Tournament in Leiden along North Carolina 47-38 on Friday and in the Elite Eight of the Women’s NCAA tournament.
The Blue Devils will appear their 12th Elite Eight in the program history and will either play number 1 seed and title defender South Carolina or fourth placed Maryland, which were planned to play in Birmingham later on Friday.
Okananwa scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half, along with 10 rebounds from the bank for Duke, who received 26 points from the bank compared to the six from North Carolina. Ashlon Jackson Finished with 10 points, and Toby FournierDuke’s most important scorer this season that missed the second round with a disease was held on three points.
Fifth -year senior Alyssa Ustby Had nine points out of 3 out of 10 shooting for the Tar Heels, who shot in their attempt to continue to their first elite 8 since 2014.
Neither of the team shot the ball well. Duke shot 31% after missing his first nine field goals. North Carolina went 28% of the field.
Part of it could have been because of the fame. The teams played each other less than a month ago for the second time this season. North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart said this week that there is an extra level of comfort that is going to a team that they just played.
But these were also two of the top defenses in the country, which forced turnover, wandering shots and desperate hopping in the shot clock at the start of the game.
It was the first meeting ever in the NCAA tournament between the two teams, who played each other 111 times. North Carolina still has a light edge of 56-55.
No. 5 Seed Ole Miss US no. 1 Seed UCLA
Reporting by the Associated Press
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