COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Kelsey Plum scored 32 points, and Washington shocked second-seeded Maryland 74-65 to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 15 years Monday night.
Maryland (31-4) came in with a rich history of success in the postseason and a 10-game winning streak. The two-time Big Ten champions also were playing on their home floor.
None of that mattered to the seventh-seeded Huskies (24-10), who squeezed past Penn in the opening round for their first NCAA tournament victory since 2006.
Washington led by eight points after the first quarter, gave the lead away by halftime but outscored Maryland 45-31 in the second half to eliminate a team looking for a fifth straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and its third successive trip to the Final Four.
The Huskies will play Friday night at Kentucky.
NOTRE DAME 87, INDIANA 70: Lindsay Allen scored a season-high 22 points, Brianna Turner added 18 points and 10 rebounds and top-seeded Notre Dame (33-1) finally broke away from ninth-seeded Indiana (21-12) with a 15-2 run that started late in the third quarter at South Bend, Indiana.
The Hoosiers used a 12-1 run, led by three baskets by Alexis Gassion and a pair by Amanda Cahill, to cut the score to 56-54 on a basket by Lindsay Leikem with 2:47 left in the third quarter. But the Irish quickly regained control with a layup by Arike Ogunbowale and a basket by Allen when she stole the inbounds pass by Leikem. Madison Cable then hit a pair of free throws after being fouled hard by Karlee McBride, the younger sister of former Notre Dame standout Kayla McBride, to give the Irish a 60-54 lead.
FLORIDA STATE 74, TEXAS A&M 56: Adut Bulgak scored 18 points, Leticia Romero added 17, and Florida State (25-7) built a big lead early and held off Texas A&M (22-10) at College Station, Texas.
The victory put the Seminoles in the Round of 16 for the second straight season and fourth time overall, where they’ll meet Baylor on Saturday in the Dallas Regional.
KENTUCKY 79, OKLAHOMA 58: Janee Thompson scored 16 points, including nine straight over the third and fourth quarters, to help No. 3 seed Kentucky (25-7) beat sixth-seeded Oklahoma (22-11) at Lexington, Kentucky.
The Wildcats earned their fifth Sweet 16 berth in seven seasons and will play a few blocks away from campus at Rupp Arena, home of the men’s team.
STANFORD 66, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 65: Lili Thompson made a go-ahead three-point play with 8.2 seconds left and Erica McCall delivered a big block moments later, lifting No. 4 seed Stanford (26-7) into its ninth straight Sweet 16 with a comeback win against visiting South Dakota State (27-7).
McCall swatted Macy Miller’s shot in the key with one second left to seal it. Thompson, who missed a 3-point try with 18 seconds to go, made a driving layup with 8.2 seconds left and converted the free throw as the Cardinal erased a five-point deficit over the final three minutes.
CONNECTICUT 97, DUQUESNE 51: Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson each scored 20 points in their final game together at Storrs, Connecticut, to lead UConn (34-0) over Duquesne (28-6).
Stewart also grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked five shots. Tuck added nine rebounds, and she and Jefferson had seven assists each as the Huskies moved into the regional semifinals for the 23rd consecutive year.
UCLA 72, SOUTH FLORIDA 67: Jordin Canada scored 19 points, making six free throws in the final 25 seconds, and third-seeded UCLA (26-8) held on to beat No. 6 seed South Florida (24-10) at Los Angeles.
Nirra Fields added 14 points and Kari Korver had 12 as the Bruins, who had led by 17 points in the second quarter, needed to make 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to advance to the Sweet 16, where they will meet Texas.
TEXAS 73, MISSOURI 55: Ariel Atkins scored 22 points and No. 2 seed Texas (30-4) earned its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 by beating No. 10 Missouri (22-10) at Austin, Texas,with an impressive display of speed and athleticism.
Lashann Higgs scored 11 points and was a sparkplug off the bench for the Longhorns, who head to the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Regional looking to make their deepest run in the postseason since a Final Four appearance in 2003.
Comments are no longer available on this story