NCAA Women’s Championship 2025 Highlights: UCLA Parade; South Carolina, Louisiana State College Students Saving

this 2025 NCAA Women's Championship 16 sweet first days continued on Friday.

[Read more: 2025 Women’s March Madness Schedule: Dates, locations, channels, how to watch]

Duke started the day with a year’s defensive performance, with the second-seed Blue Devils snatching North Carolina’s third seed. Since then, South Carolina’s No. 1 seed continues its championship defense as Gamecocks recovered from frustrated Maryland.

Louisiana's third seed will also be a third consecutive elite appearance after arriving there after experiencing North Carolina's second seed.

UCLA, the top seed in the NCAA Women’s Championship, watched this section Friday night. The Bruins have little trouble with the No. 5 seed Ole Miss.

This is the biggest moment of day 16:

Lauren Betts was so dominant inside that she barely missed it, shooting 31 points on 16 shots, leading UCLA to lead Mississippi State 76-62 on Friday night and sending the Bruins to eight games in the Women’s NCAA Championship for the first time since 2018.

The 6-foot-7 Bates added 10 rebounds and 3 blocks to the overall seed, which will face LSU on Sunday with a chance to make its final four games.

Kiki Rice added 13 points and 7 assists and was the only double-digit player in the Bruins (32-2).

Tameiya Sadler scored 14 points for the Fifth Seed Rebels (22-10), reaching the elite five times but not since 2007.

Bates had a similar line in the Bruins’ second round 84-67 win over Richmond – 30 points and 14 rebounds.

Betts' layup gave the Bruins 19-10 in the opening quarter, but Ole Miss finished 21-19 on the KK Deans' jumper.

Deans' quick breakout layup at the end of the first half put the Rebels within 30-29 at rest.

The Bruins opened the second half with an 8-0 run and rose 45-33 on Londynn Jones' three-pointer.

Gabriela Jaquez, alone, raised UCLA 63-46 in the final quarter, and Ole Miss never threatened since.

UCLA's only two losses this season were against Jucon Watkins and Southern California, before the Bruins avenged the Big Ten Championship finals to beat USC 72-67.

Betts scored 16 points in 30 first-half scores at UCLA, the second time this season has earned more than half of the Bruins points.

She has 93 blocks this season, an average of nearly three games per game and has been named the Top 10 Defensive Player of the Year.

LSU returns to the highest North Carolina with thriller, moving to another elite eight

Aneesah Morrow had 30 points and 19 rebounds, and Kailyn Gilbert had a key obstacle, with Mikaylah Williams having a layup score of 1:07 left and 1:07 left in the nervous women's NCAA NCAA Championship on Friday.

Wolfpack led 69-64 with a score of 4:29, leading Williams in the fourth quarter led by Williams, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Williams switched to 74-73 on the other end as part of the Tigers' 10-0 defeat (31-5).

LSU won the national championship of coach Kim Mulkey two years ago, reaching the Elite Eight for the third straight season and will face UCLA.

Sa'myah Smith scored 21 points and 11 rebounds for LSU, while Williams scored 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Brooks led North Carolina with 21 points (28-7). Coach Wes Moore Wolfpack was undercompetitive in his second straight final.

The game has seven leading changes and four leading leads, while LSU's 21-10 advantage in the first quarter was the biggest lead for both teams. Morrow scored 10 points in the first stage.

North Carolina State quickly rose to the forefront with a 40-36 half-time lead, Morrow once again dominated the third quarter, scoring 11 points from 21 points in the period, giving LSU a 57-53 lead.

North Carolina State University started the fourth quarter with an 8-1 mark. Wolfpack didn't score a goal until Morrow scored more than seven minutes to play.

Morrow is the highest rebounder in the United States, with his 30th doubles this season. Her efforts on the board helped the Tigers outperform Wolfpack by 52-36, including an 18-10 advantage in offensive glass.

The 6-foot-1 striker is one of two women in NCAA history, with over 100 doubles. She is also the only player this season to score more than 600 points and 450 rebounds.

South Carolina terrorizes fifth straight elite eight from Maryland

Milaysia Fulwiley scored 23 points, including a 2:22 ward layup left, with Chloe Kitts on Friday's Sweet 16 in the Women's NCAA Championship, and South Carolina's 16-shot seeds.

Defending national champion Gamecocks walked back and forth in all the games at Terrapins before doing enough games in the last few minutes to get it out.

South Carolina will face Duke on Sunday at an elite eight. Earlier on Friday, the Blue Devils beat Atlantic Coast Conference rivals 47-38.

Dawn Staley's team was 60-59 with a 3:25 run and then there was no bit of Maryland for the next three minutes. Fulwiley's layup started a 7-0 game, which put the Gamecocks (33-3) enough for the mat.

Kitts added three free throws during Spurt, with Fulwiley scoring on the coast-to-coast drive.

When Saylor Poffenbarger ended Maryland's scoring drought with three-pointers, the Gamecocks had 25 seconds left and 25 seconds left.

But Terps couldn't get close, as Gamecocks made five free throws in six free throws, including two from Fulwiley, with 10.9 seconds left, bringing it to 71-65.

Kaylene Smikle scored 17 points before the foul to lead Maryland (25-8).

Neither team was able to enter the offense in the first three quarters. South Carolina trailed 43-39 at the end of the third inning and then finished the period 13-7, with Fulwiley's spectacular transition basket block, who trailed behind her and then hit the pull-up.

Both teams have previously participated in the NCAA Championship and won 86-75 South Carolina's 86-75 victory in 2023.

South Carolina avoids being the first defending champion to lose in the game since Louisville defeated Brittney Griner and Baylor with a sweet No. 16 in 2013.

Duke beats rival UNC to Elite Eight

Oluchi Okananwa recorded his third doubles of the season, leading ACC Championship champion Duke Duke into eight games of the Women's NCAA Championship in North Carolina, 47-38.

The Blue Devils will be ranked 12th in Elite Eight in Program History and will play the No. 1 seed and defending champion South Carolina or fourth seed Maryland, who are scheduled to play in Birmingham late Friday.

Okananwa scored 10 of 12 points in the first half, while Duke had 10 rebounds on the bench, which scored 26 points on the bench compared to North Carolina’s six points. Ashlon Jackson scored 10 points and Duke's leading scorer Toby Fournier missed the second round in the case of the patient and was hit with a three-pointer.

Fifth-grade senior Alyssa Ustby has nine out of 10 hits on the tar heels, and they have been trying to advance to the first Elite 8 since 2014.

Neither team shot very well. Duke shot 31% from the field after missing the first nine shots. North Carolina's stadiums account for 28%.

Part of the reason may be due to familiarity. Less than a month ago, the teams played against each other for the second time this season. North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart said this week there is a level of comfort compared to the team they just played for.

But these are also two of the highest defenses in the country, forcing turnovers, wrong shots and desperate shots at the start of the game.

This is the first time meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Championship, where they played each other 111 times. North Carolina still has a 56-55 edge.

The Associated Press report

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