South Dakota center Hannah Sjerven celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer Sunday against Baylor in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Waco, Texas. South Dakota upset the second-seeded Bears, 61-47. LM Otero/Associated Press
WACO, Texas — Hannah Sjerven scored 16 points and Chloe Lamb added 15 as 10th-seeded South Dakota beat Baylor 61-47 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first-time ever.
The Coyotes (29-5) scored the game’s first 11 points and led throughout against the 12-time Big 12 regular-season champion Bears, who had won 17 consecutive NCAA tourney games played on their home court since 2011.
Summit League champ South Dakota was the second No. 10 seed to beat a No. 2 seed on Sunday, after Creighton won 64-62 at Iowa earlier in the day.
Queen Egbo had 13 points and two-time AP All-America forward NaLyssa Smith matched her season low with 10 for the Bears (28-7), whose streak of 12 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances ended.
Liv Korngable scored 11 points for the Coyotes. She is one of three senior starters, along with Summit League player of the year Lamb and Sjerven, who returned for another NCAA chance. They are now headed to the Wichita Region semifinals.
In a building where Baylor rarely loses, the Coyotes had a loud contingency of roughly 150 fans, cheerleaders and pep band members that got to celebrate with them. The fans in the seats behind their bench stood chanting “U-S-D!” in the closing seconds, and celebrated with their team long after Baylor had left the court.
The Bears had won 66 consecutive home games against nonconference opponents since UConn won in the Ferrell Center on Jan. 13, 2014.
LOUISVILLE 68, GONZAGA 59: Hailey Van Lith scored 21 points and top-seeded Louisville (27-4) advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating No. 9 Gonzaga (27-7) in Louisville, Kentucky.
Playing in front of a loud home crowd for the last time this season, the Cardinals jumped out to a 14-0 lead less than 4:30 into the game.
Gonzaga answered with a 12-0 run, but Van Lith, a sophomore guard, scored eight straight points in a 1:45 stretch of the third quarter that started a 15-3 run. She capped that spurt with two free throws to make it 51-33 with 3:00 left in the third.
Creighton guard Morgan Maly drives to the basket as Iowa’s McKenna Warnock reaches for the ball during a second-round game in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa. Ron Johnson/Associated Press
GREENSBORO REGION
CREIGHTON 64, IOWA 62: Lauren Jensen scored 19 points against her former team, including the go-ahead 3 with 12.9 seconds left that lifted No. 10 Creighton over Caitlyn Clark and second-seeded Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa (24-8), which shared the Big Ten regular-season title and won the conference tournament, had two chances to tie the game in the closing three seconds. Monika Czinano missed a layup with three seconds left, then Kate Martin missed a putback as time ran out.
Jensen, who played at Iowa last season as a freshman before transferring, scored nine of the Bluejays’ last 10 points. She made a layup with 1:26 left to cut Iowa’s lead to 62-60, then her 3-pointer put the Bluejays in front. After Clark missed a layup, Emma Ronziek made the second of two free throws for the final margin.
“She goes over there and she comes back and beats us on our home court, and I want to congratulate her because she’s a great kid,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said of Jensen. “She is a really, really good kid. I’m happy for her. I wish it wasn’t in this situation, but I am happy for her that she’s found a really good home and is really having a lot of success.”
Ronziek and Payton Brotzki each had 13 points for the Bluejays (22-9), who advance to their first Sweet 16.
“This is for everyone who has played at Creighton and put on a uniform in the past,” Creighton Coach Jim Flanery said. “So happy for everyone who has been here. It means a lot. We have so much respect for Iowa and their program. The familiarity led to a lower scoring game than I anticipated. To make a Sweet 16 is really special.”
Monika Czinano led Iowa with 27 points. Clark, who came into the game as the nation’s leading scorer at 27.4 points per game, finished with 15. She shot just 4 for 19 from the field, missing all eight of her shots in the second half.
“I missed some bunnies I usually make,” Clark said. “But that’s how basketball goes.”
Creighton led by as much as 12 in the first half before a six-point Iowa run in the final two minutes cut the Bluejays’ margin to 38-32 at halftime. The Hawkeyes struggled offensively outside of Clark and Czinano, who combined for Iowa’s first 26 points.
IOWA STATE 67, GEORGIA 44: Lexi Donarski scored 20 points and third-seeded Iowa State (28-6) raced to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2010 with a win over sixth-seeded Georgia (21-10) in Ames, Iowa.
Emily Ryan had 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Cyclones.
Jenna Staiti led Georgia with 16 points. The Bulldogs shot 31% from the floor and never had a lead.
SOUTH CAROLINA 49, MIAMI 33: Aliyah Boston finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds as top-seeded South Carolina (31-2) rode its strong defense to a win over eighth-seeded Miami (21-13) in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Gamecocks again held an opponent without a field goal in the second quarter, and Miami shot just 24% for the game as South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley advanced to her eighth Sweet 16 in nine tournament appearances.
The Gamecocks led all the way but could never really pull away, shooting only 30%. Not until Kamilla Cardoso had a pair of three-point plays about midway through the fourth quarter did the game seem in hand. The sophomore led South Carolina with 11 points.
Boston’s 26th double-double in a row seemed in doubt until she was fouled with 1:19 left as Miami tried to extend the game. She hit both free throws. The All-American junior was just 4 of 15 from the field.
SPOKANE REGION
MARYLAND 89, FLORIDA GULF COAST 65: Diamond Miller scored 24 points, and fourth-seeded Maryland (23-8) used a 19-0 run spanning parts of both halves to pull away from 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (30-3) in College Park, Maryland.
Angel Reese added 21 points and Ashley Osusu scored 20 for the Terrapins, who advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time under Coach Brenda Frese. Maryland faces Stanford in the Spokane Region semifinals.
Kendall Spray scored 17 points in the first half but none in the second for FGCU.
TEXAS 78, UTAH 56: Aaliyah Moore scored 21 points and second-seeded Texas (28-6) shut down Utah’s prolific 3-point shooting as the Longhorns won at home to earn another trip to the Sweet 16.
The Longhorns shot 71% in a blistering first half and led by as many 26 points in the third quarter.
Kennady McQueen led No. 7 Utah (21-12) with 18 points.
Texas will play the LSU-Ohio State winner on Sunday.
STANFORD 91, KANSAS 65: Lexie Hull scored a career-high 36 points with six 3-pointers and made six steals, leading No. 1 seed Stanford (30-3) past eighth-seeded Kansas (21-9) in Stanford, California.
Cameron Brink added 13 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as the Cardinal used a dominant third quarter to pull away. Stanford outscored the Jayhawks 32-15 in the third to turn a 33-31 halftime advantage into a 65-46 lead.
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