Destiny Harden’s jumper from the paint rolled in off the rim with 3.3 seconds left, allowing ninth-seeded Miami to stun top-seeded Indiana 70-68 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game Monday in Bloomington, Ind.
Following Stanford’s loss to eighth-seeded Ole Miss on Sunday, it marks the first time since 1998 that two No. 1 seeds in the same women’s tournament lost before the Sweet 16. Miami (21-12) will face fourth-seeded Villanova in the Greenville 2 Regional semifinal.
Indiana (28-4) never led Monday, falling behind by 14 during the first half before clawing back. Hoosiers star Mackenzie Holmes tied it 60-60 with 3:05 to play, but Miami answered with five quick points. Indiana’s Grace Berger then made two free throws and Yarden Garzon knocked down a 3-pointer to knot it at 65 with 49 seconds left.
Harden and Haley Cavinder combined to go 3 of 6 from the foul line for Miami in the final minute, leaving the door open for Indiana. Garzon rattled in an open trey from the left corner to tie the game again at 68 with 6.6 seconds left. But Harden responded, receiving an inbounds pass and working her way one-on-one to get a close shot for the game-winner.
Harden credited associate head coach Fitzroy Anthony for calling her number.
“I got to give all my credit to him,” Harden said on the ESPN broadcast. “He believed in me, the whole coaching staff believed in me, the whole team believed in me, man. It just feels good to make the shot (and) send Miami to the Sweet 16 for the first time, man.”
Harden finished with 18 points and five rebounds and Lola Pendande had a team-high 19 points plus seven rebounds for the Hurricanes. Jasmyne Roberts scored 16 points.
Holmes posted game highs of 22 points and nine boards to lead Indiana. Berger tallied 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Garzon scored 10 points.
SEATTLE 3 REGION
No. 3 Ohio State 71, No. 6 North Carolina 69
Jacy Sheldon sank a floater with 1.8 seconds left to play as the Buckeyes escaped an upset bid from the Tar Heels in Columbus, Ohio.
Sheldon’s shot was in response to a game-tying layup from Deja Kelly with 9.7 seconds left to play. The Buckeyes (27-7) led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter but needed the heroics from Sheldon to put away the Tar Heels (22-11).
Sheldon finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, and teammate Taylor Mikesell scored 17 points. Kelly led North Carolina with 22 points and three steals, while Alyssa Ustby and Kennedy Todd-Williams each scored 16 points.
Ohio State advances to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. The Buckeyes will oppose either No. 7 Baylor or No. 2 UConn in a Seattle 3 Regional semifinal.
No. 4 Tennessee 94, No. 12 Toledo 47
Five Lady Vols scored in double digits to lead Tennessee past the Rockets in Knoxville, Tenn., and into the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
Rickea Jackson stuffed the stat sheet for Tennessee (25-11) with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Quinesha Lockett led Toledo (29-5) with 19 points.
Tennessee is now due for a rematch with No. 1 Virginia Tech next weekend in Seattle. The Hokies beat the Lady Vols 59-56 on Dec. 4 in Knoxville.
GREENVILLE 2 REGION
No. 4 Villanova 76, No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast 57
Maddy Siegrist, the nation’s leading scorer, tallied 31 points as the Wildcats raced away from the Eagles in the second half to win in Villanova, Pa.
Siegrist also had six rebounds, four steals and four blocks as Villanova (30-6) advanced to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history, and for the first time under coach Denise Dillon. It’s also the first time in program history that Villanova has reached 30 wins.
Siegrist was helped by Lucy Olsen, who poured in a season-high 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the sophomore’s second double-double of the season. Next up for Villanova is a matchup with top-seeded Indiana or ninth-seeded Miami.
Florida Gulf Coast (33-4) was led by Sha Carter’s 11 points and six rebounds and Alyza Winston’s 10 points.
SEATTLE 4 REGION
No. 5 Louisville 73, No. 4 Texas 51
Hailey Van Lith scored 21 points to guide the Cardinals past the Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
Van Lith also had three rebounds and three assists and was aided by 10 points from teammate Morgan Jones. DeYona Gaston led Texas with 12 points, and Rori Harmon contributed 10.
The Cardinals (25-11) outscored the Longhorns 21-7 in the second quarter and went on to lead by as many as 27 points in the fourth.
Texas (26-10) became the second hosting team to not advance to the Sweet 16 in this tournament, joining No. 1 Stanford, which was upset by No. 8 Ole Miss. Louisville, meanwhile, advanced to its sixth consecutive regional semifinal.
–Field Level Media
