South Carolina uses size to overpower UCLA in women’s Sweet 16

GREENVILLE, S.C.  — Aaliyah Boston had eight points, 14 rebounds and two blocks while reigning national champion South Carolina turned in its latest overwhelming defense-and-rebounding-first performance to beat UCLA 59-43 on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Kamilla Cardoso added 10 points for the Gamecocks (35-0), the top overall tournament seed and the headliner in the Greenville 1 Region. It marked South Carolina’s 41st consecutive victory, securing the program’s sixth trip to the Elite Eight under Dawn Staley.

The Gamecocks will play for their fifth trip to the Final Four in Monday’s regional final against Maryland in a rematch from the season’s opening week. South Carolina won that game 81-56.

It wasn’t an easy offensive operation for South Carolina, with UCLA sagging defensively to pack the paint in hopes of negating the Gamecocks’ size advantage behind Boston. But South Carolina dominated the glass from start to finish and used its length to turn every look into a difficult one for the fourth-seeded Bruins (27-10).

South Carolina won the first meeting with UCLA 73-64 in November, with the Bruins shooting 32% in that game. Things got worse this time, with UCLA going shooting 29% — including 3 for 18 from 3-point range.

South Carolina also finished with a 42-34 rebounding advantage that narrowed late with the outcome no longer in doubt.

Charisma Osborne scored 14 points to lead UCLA, which was in the Sweet 16 for the eighth time. The Bruins were trying to reach the regional finals for the first time since 2018 and only the third time in program history while pursuing their first Final Four appearance.

But in a sign of what was to come, the Bruins kept missing shots that they needed to position themselves for a stunning upset. Worse, they failed to grab even a few of those misses to keep possessions alive early, with South Carolina going on to finish with a 15-8 edge on the offensive glass.

Meanwhile, the Gamecocks were able to just keep grinding and relying on their length. They led 25-15 at halftime before finally breaking the game open.

MARYLAND 76, NOTRE DAME 59: Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers had 18 points apiece and second-seeded Maryland (28-6) took control in the third quarter to defeat No. 3 seed Notre Dame (27-6) to reached the Elite Eight for the first time in eight years.

Chasing a championship didn’t look promising at the end of last season. Coach Brenda Frese had lost 85 percent of her offense a year ago as Maryland went through a roster transition with nine new faces. The group gelled quickly and are among the last teams still standing in March Madness.

Miller and Sellers combined for 30 of their 36 points in the final two quarters.

The Fighting Irish played once again without injured leading scorer Olivia Miles. Miles and guard Dara Mabrey, both starters, were injured spectators for Notre Dame, which hung tight with Maryland for 25 minutes before Miller and Sellers took over.

Sonia Citron led the Fighting Irish with 14 points, their only double-figure scorer.

OHIO STATE 73, UCONN 61: Second-seeded Connecticut’s record streak of reaching 14 straight Final Fours ended in the Sweet 16 when No. 3 seed Ohio State beat the Huskies (31-6) in Seattle.

Cotie McMahon scored 23 points and the Buckeyes forced UConn into 25 turnovers, ending the Huskies’ season before the national semifinals for the first time since 2008.

UConn, who was led by Lou Lopez Senechal’s 24 points, hadn’t been eliminated this early since 2006.

The Buckeyes stopped their own Elite Eight drought. Ohio State hadn’t made a regional final since 1993. The Buckeyes went on to lose in the title game that year.

Ohio State plays Virginia Tech on Monday night in the region final.

VIRGINIA TECH 73, TENNESSEE 64: Georgia Amoore scored a career-high 29 points and top-seeded Virginia Tech (30-4) advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history with a win over No. 4 seed Tennessee (25-12).

Amoore and the Hokies used a dominant stretch spanning the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third that built enough of a cushion to hold off the Volunteers’ valiant rally over the final 12 minutes.

Amoore attempted 19 3-pointers in Virginia Tech’s second round win, but shot only 14 this time around as the Hokies won their 14th straight game overall.

Kayana Traylor added 14 points and Elizabeth Kitley scored 12 despite sitting a big chunk of the first half with foul trouble. The ACC Tournament champions had reached the Sweet 16 only once previously in school history.

Jordan Horston scored 17 points for Tennessee, which lost in the regional semifinals for the second straight season.