The only undefeated team in women’s Division I basketball fell Monday, as eighth-seeded Princeton was eliminated by top-seeded Maryland 85-70 in an NCAA Tournament second-round game at College Park, Maryland.
The Terrapins (32-2) recorded their 26th win in a row to advance to a meeting with fourth-seeded Duke on Saturday in Spokane, Washington.
The Tigers (31-1) rolled through their nonconference schedule, the Ivy League and their first NCAA Tournament game without a defeat. However, Maryland proved too tough on its home floor.
Guard Laurin Mincy scored 27 points and handed out seven assists to lead the Terrapins. She hit nine of 11 shots from the floor, including six of seven from 3-point range. Maryland guard Lexie Brown added 23 points, and center Brionna Jones had 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Princeton got 26 points from guard Blake Dietrick. Tigers guard Vanessa Smith scored 15, and forward Alex Wheatley added 10.
Tennessee 77, Pittsburgh 67
The second-seeded Lady Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth year in a row and the 33rd time in 34 years, eliminating the 10th-seeded Panthers in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tennessee (29-5) will meet 11th-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday in a regional semifinal in Spokane, Washington.
Forward Bashaara Graves led Tennessee with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Lady Vols guard Ariel Massengale scored 16 points, and forward Cierra Burdick added 14 points and 10 boards. Panthers guard Brianna Kiesel scored a game-high 32 points, and Pitt forward Yacine Diop finished with 18.
Florida St. 65, Florida Gulf Coast 47
Thanks in large part to a huge rebounding advantage, the second-seeded Seminoles rolled to a win over the seventh-seeded Eagles in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State (31-4) moves on to the semifinals of the Greensboro, North Carolina, region.
Led by center Adut Bulgak’s game-high 13 rebounds, the Seminoles finished with a 46-23 edge on the glass. Florida State shot 46.3 percent from the floor while limiting Florida Gulf Coast to 30.9 percent shooting.
Forward Shakayla Thomas scored 12 points to pace Florida State, and Seminoles guard Leticia Romero contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Guard Taylor Gradinjan topped Florida Gulf Coast (31-3) with 12 points.
North Carolina 86, Ohio St. 84
Guard Jamie Cherry’s tiebreaking jumper in the last second lifted the fourth-seeded Tar Heels to a win over the fifth-seeded Buckeyes in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Next up for North Carolina (26-8) is a date with top-seeded South Carolina on Friday in the semifinals of the Greensboro, N.C. region.
Forward Stephanie Mavunga led the Tar Heels with 27 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. North Carolina guard Allisha Gray scored 20 points, and guard Brittany Rountree finished with 15.
Ohio State (24-11) got 30 points from guard Ameryst Alston, 25 points from guard Kelsey Mitchell, and 15 points and 10 rebounds from forward Alexa Hart.
Stanford 86, Oklahoma 76
Guard Amber Orrange scored a game-high 24 points, leading the fourth-seeded Cardinal to a victory over the fifth-seeded Sooners in Stanford, California. Stanford (26-9) will battle top-seeded Notre Dame on Friday in the semifinals of the Oklahoma City region.
Guard Lili Thompson and forward Bonnie Samuelson added 19 points apiece for the Cardinal. Stanford forward Erica McCall finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
Forward Kaylon Williams led Oklahoma (21-12) with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Sooners guard Gioya Carter scored 20 points.