LSU, South Carolina, Texas earn Sweet 16 spots in women's basketball tourney

March 25 (UPI) -- Reigning champion LSU, undefeated South Carolina and fellow No. 1 seed Texas were among the first teams to clinch spots in the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

Sophomore guard Flau'jae Johnson scored 21 points to lead the No. 3 LSU Tigers to an 83-56 drubbing of the No. 11 Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.

Junior forward Angel Reese, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 tournament, chipped in 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers. Junior guard Aneesah Morrow logged 19 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.

"It was so much fun," Reese told reporters. "I love playing here at LSU. To be able to advance in my second year here is amazing."

The Tigers will face the No. 2 UCLA Bruins or No. 7 Creighton Blue Jays in the Sweet 16.

The No. 3 Duke Blue Devils clinched the first Sweet 16 spot in the women's tournament with a comeback victory over the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

Blue Devils junior guard Reigan Richardson scored a game-high 28 points, including 16 in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils outshot the Buckeyes 51.1% to 40.7%. The Buckeyes also made just 1 of 11 3-point attempts.

The South Carolina Gamecocks (34-0), the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, completed the largest blowout victory of the round. They dominated the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels in an 88-41 win Sunday in Columbia, S.C. That 47-point victory followed their 52-point triumph over Presbyterian in the first round.

Freshman guard Milaysia Fulwiley scored a game-high 20 points in the Gamecocks' win over the Tar Heels. All-American center Kamila Cardoso, who did not play in the first round because of a suspension, logged 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks.

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns dominated in the paint en route to a 65-54 win over the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide to advance to the Sweet 16 on Sunday in Austin, Texas. Longhorns forwards Aaliyah Moore and Madison Booker scored 21 points apiece in the triumph.

The No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes forced 22 turnovers in a 63-50 win over the No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan. The Wildcats outshot the Buffaloes 38.5% to 35.1% in the offensively ugly matchup. The Buffaloes held a 40-34 edge in rebounding and totaled 17 steals. They outscored the Wildcats 16-2 off fast breaks and 19-9 off turnovers.

The No. 2 Stanford Cardinal needed overtime to dispatch the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday in Stanford, Calif.

Junior forward Kiki Iriafen totaled 41 points, 16 rebounds and four assists for the Cardinal. The Cyclones were 12 of 19 (63.2%) from 3-point range in the loss. Cyclones senior guard Emily Ryan made six shots from downtown, en route to 36 points, but also totaled 10 turnovers.

The No. 5 Baylor Bears sent the No. 4 Virginia Tech Hokies home with a 74-72 win Sunday in Blacksburg, Va. Junior guard Jada Walker totaled a game-high 28 points for the Bears. Both teams made 42.9% of their shots, but the Bears outscored the Hokies 36-28 in the paint.

The No. 3 Oregon State Beavers beat the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers 61-51 in another Round of 32 matchup in Corvallis, Ore. The Beavers will take on the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish or No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels in the Sweet 16.

The Rebels and Fighting Irish will tip off their Round of 32 matchup at 2 p.m. EDT Monday in Notre Dame, Ind. That game, the first of Monday's slate, will air on ESPN.

The No. 3 North Carolina State Wolfpack will battle the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers in the next game at 4 p.m. on the same network. The No. 3 UConn Huskies will meet the No. 6 Syracuse Orange at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers will play the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Reigning National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark and the No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The No. 2 UCLA Bruins will face the No. 7 Creighton Blue Jays at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

The top-seeded USC Trojans will take on the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks at 10 p.m. on ESPN. The No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs will battle the No. 5 Utah Utes in the final Round of 32 matchup at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Sweet 16 for the women's tournament will be held Friday and Saturday and also air on ESPN platforms.