Jessica Hill/Associated Press
The final eight spots in the Sweet 16 are on the line Monday in the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
The tournament had seen limited upsets over the first three days of action, but four double-digit seeds are battling to keep their Cinderella hopes alive on Day 4. Top teams like UConn, Mississippi State and Texas are also in action trying to continue their potential runs to a national championship.
Follow along for a breakdown of Monday’s games as they happen.
Monday Schedule and Scores
No. 1 Connecticut def. No. 9 Quinnipiac, 71-46 (Albany Region)
No. 11 Buffalo def. No. 3 Florida State, 86-65 (Albany Region)
No. 5 Duke def. No. 4 Georgia, 66-40 (Albany Region)
No. 11 Central Michigan def. No. 3 Ohio State, 95-78 (Spokane Region)
No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 11 Creighton, 9 p.m. ET (Kansas City Region)
No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 9 p.m. ET (Kansas City Region)
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Arizona State, 9 p.m. ET (Kansas City Region)
No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast, 9 p.m. ET (Lexington Region)
Bracket
NCAA Women’s BKB @ncaawbb
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Live bracket available at NCAA.com.
Recap
No. 1 Connecticut def. No. 9 Quinnipiac, 71-46
After its 140-52 win in the first round, UConn wasn’t quite as dominant in the second round against Quinnipiac.
The Huskies chose to showcase their defense in this one instead of the offense, holding the Bobcats to just 30.4 percent shooting, including 4-of-24 from three-point range. Jen Fay was the only player in double figures with 12 points in the loss.
On the other end of the court, Connecticut remained efficient despite scoring about half of the points it scored two days ago. The team shot 59.1 percent from the field, with Napheesa Collier leading the way with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
She also added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Huskies moved to 34-0 on the season and remain on track for another national championship, but either Duke or Georgia will try to end the winning streak in the next round.
No. 11 Buffalo def. No. 3 Florida State, 86-65
Buffalo has pulled off the biggest upset in the 2018 tournament so far with a 21-point win over Florida State.
The No. 11 seed didn’t do anything spectacular. The squad simply played good defense and held the Seminoles to just 3-of-25 shooting from three-point range.
The Bulls used a balanced effort on offense with all five starters in double figures, led by Cierra Dillard with 22 points plus seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Even with just six points off the bench, the underdogs cruised to a dominant victory on the road in Tallahassee.
Buffalo became just the second team from the MAC ever to reach the Sweet 16 after Bowling Green accomplished the feat in 2007. Defending champions South Carolina will await the Bulls in the next round.
No. 5 Duke def. No. 4 Georgia, 66-40
A dominant second quarter helped Duke pull away from Georgia in a matchup that was expected to be much closer based on seeds.
The Blue Devils outscored their opponent 20-2 in the second quarter, continuing the dominance into the third quarter for what became a 26-2 run.
Although the Lady Bulldogs finally woke up from there, outscoring Duke in the fourth, it was far too little, too late after the brutal stretch in the middle of the game. Georgia made just 23.5 percent of its shots, making just one three-point shot in 17 attempts.
Duke was far from perfect with 21 turnovers, but the defense was good enough Monday to beat just about anyone in the country.
This theory will be put to the test in the third round with a matchup against undefeated UConn.
No. 11 Central Michigan def. No. 3 Ohio State, 95-78
Central Michigan became the second double-digit seed in the Sweet 16 after a one-sided win over Ohio State.
It’s the first time two No. 11 seeds or lower have reached the third round since 2011, per ESPN Women’s Hoops.
Presley Hudson (28 points), Cassie Breen (22 points) and Tinara Moore (20 points) all had big days offensively for the Chippewas, which made 14 threes in the win.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points, but struggled with her shot and went just 11-of-29 from the field and was unable to get any points from the free-throw line. It represents a disappointing end to the career of the three-time Big Ten Player of the Year.
Central Michigan will now have a date with Oregon in the Sweet 16, which could be a high-scoring battle between elite offenses.