Women’s NCAA roundup: No. 10 Virginia topples No. 2 Iowa in 2OT

Kymora Johnson scored 28 points and forced both the first and second overtime period for No. 10 seed Virginia as it buried No. 2 Iowa 83-75 in the biggest upset of the women’s NCAA Tournament thus far on Monday in Iowa City.

Paris Clark put up 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Cavaliers (22-11), who have become the first women’s team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16.

The Cavaliers went from ahead by seven to down by nine as Iowa dominated the third quarter of the second-round contest in Regional 4. A personal 8-0 run from Clark with two 3-pointers shaved the deficit down, and Johnson’s tying 3-pointer with 2:11 left stood as the final points of regulation, as Iowa missed its final five attempts of the fourth quarter.

Both teams held brief leads in the first overtime, but the Hawkeyes nudged ahead by two in the final seconds before Johnson’s jumper in the paint tied it at 65-65 with 13 seconds left. But it was all Cavaliers in the second overtime, as they scored 11 of the first 13 points and salted it away from the foul line.

Romi Levy scored 13 points and Caitlin Weimar had 12 for Virginia, which made 18 of 23 free throws compared to Iowa’s feeble 8-for-16 effort. Ava Heiden pumped in 26 points, Chazadi Wright had 21 and Hannah Stuelke compiled 15 points, 19 rebounds and six assists for Iowa (27-7), which was tested by No. 15 seed FDU in the first round but eked out a 58-48 victory.

No. 3 Louisville 69, No. 6 Alabama 68

Elif Istanbulluoglu and Tajianna Roberts had 18 points apiece and the host Cardinals survived the Crimson Tide to advance to the Sweet 16 from Regional 3.

Trailing by four, Alabama’s Karly Weathers scored with 9.4 seconds left and Louisville’s Imari Berry made both free throws before Weathers hit another 3 to make it 69-68 with four seconds on the clock. But after Reyna Scott missed two foul shots, Alabama didn’t have time to advance the ball for the potential game-winner.

Istanbulluoglu also had 11 rebounds. Louisville survived woeful 7-of-26 shooting from long range with 14 offensive rebounds and 24 points in the pant. Alabama was outrebounded 41-24.

Ace Austin led Alabama with 17 points. She hit her fifth 3 to keep Alabama in striking distance, 52-49, with 1:22 left in the third. Weathers had 11 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Diana Collins scored 14 points and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide shot 46.2% (12 of 26) from 3 but only 45.6% overall (26 of 57).

No. 6 Notre Dame 83, No. 3 Ohio State 73

Hannah Hidalgo poured in 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and swiped eight steals as the Fighting Irish knocked off the Buckeyes in Columbus to reach the Sweet 16 from Regional 1.

Vanessa de Jesus added 15 points, Cassandre Prosper and Iyana Moore had 13 points apiece and KK Bransford chipped in 10 off the bench for Notre Dame (24-10), which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight season.

Jaloni Cambridge carried Ohio State (27-8) with 41 points, shooting 13-for-25 from the field (including 5-for-8 from deep), and Elsa Lemmila posted nine points and 10 rebounds, but Ohio State failed to get out of the second round for the third year in a row.

After trailing 22-20 at the end of the first quarter, Notre Dame flipped the game with a 23-13 second to take a 43-35 halftime lead. Cambridge kept rallying the Buckeyes, but the Irish held a four-point edge entering the fourth and closed with a 25-point final quarter to cement it. Notre Dame forced 21 turnovers while going 23-for-26 on free throws.

No. 5 Kentucky 74, No. 4 West Virginia 73

Teonni Key and Clara Strack posted double-doubles as the Wildcats held off the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W. Va, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade.

Key scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Stack had 18 points and 15 boards plus four blocks. Tonie Morgan added 15 points, including a basket in the final minute that gave Kentucky a 74-71 lead.

The Wildcats looked in control after a dominant third quarter, when they pushed the lead as wide as 62-48. West Virginia ripped off a fourth-quarter rally behind Sydney Shaw, who scored 11 of her 23 points in the final period. Gia Cooke’s two free throws with 33 seconds left cut it to 74-73, but the Mountaineers never got back in front.

Cooke matched Shaw with 23 points and Kierra Wheeler chipped in 16 for West Virginia. Kentucky finished plus-16 on the glass and now moves on to face top-seeded Texas in Fort Worth Regional 3.

–Field Level Media