The Iowa Hawkeyes and Louisville Cardinals advanced to the Elite Eight after Friday night’s victories. Here are our recaps of their games.
No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 6 Colorado Buffaloes 87-77
Colorado was the Pac-12’s overachiever and Iowa was the favorite all year. It was a highly competitive game when they met on Friday, but after a third quarter explosion led by Kaitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes came out on top and advanced to the Elite Eight.
Clarke was great, especially in the second half. He finished the night with a team-high 31 points and eight rebounds. Hawkeye forwards were also big in this game, with McKenna Warnock and Monica Czignano scoring in double digits.
In the first half, the buffalo came out running. They were leading by one at halftime and dominated by her guard play from Frieda Foreman, who finished the night with 21 points. Quay Miller was relatively quiet, but even with his quiet play, Colorado could pull off upsets.
Then the second half happened.
Iowa went out on a 15–2 run to start the third quarter, and Clark scored eight points and assisted with the rest. The lead proved too much to overcome as Colorado tried to climb back through the remainder of the game. They got within six after a Miller three, but Clark countered with a basket of her own and Kate Martin and Warnock hit their free throws in the closing minutes, cutting the comeback short for Colorado and Iowa would keep dancing. .
No. 5 seed Louisville Cardinals over No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels 72-62
Ole Miss actually only played eight players, but their three-guard lineup tonight was impressive. Marquesha Davis and Maia Taylor both had 19 points and Angel Baker added 11 of her own, but it was not enough as Louisville earned a double-digit victory to end the Rebels season.
Louisville was always in control and never lost an individual quarter. Hailie Van Lith had a decent game by her high standards with 21 points and five rebounds, but Ole Miss did her part for everything. He struggled to score at times and committed a late turnover that gave Ole Miss life in the middle of the fourth. Morgan Jones was also key for the Cardinals off the bench with 11 points and seven boards.
Ole Miss was never in control, but they never went away. Angel Baker made back-to-back baskets in the third to cut the lead to three. Louisville went on an 11–4 run to close out the third and take a ten-point lead into the final quarter.
Most of the fourth was an even exchange of buckets until the 2:57 mark when Van Lith made a bad turnover and a Maia Taylor jumper made it a five-point game. Van Lith struck back immediately, scoring a mid-range jumper, and Louisville never looked back.
One of Friday night’s winners will become a Sunday night loser this weekend as Louisville and Iowa face off against each other in a bid to advance to the Final Four. The No. 2 vs. No. 5 match-up begins at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
