The Miami Hurricanes and UCLA Bruins both advanced to the Sweet Sixteen on Monday. Here are our recaps of their second round games:
No. 9 seed Miami Hurricanes over No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers70-68
Miami’s Destiny Harden got a great look with 5.3 seconds remaining, and with Chloe Moore-McNeil missing a pass with 22.8 seconds remaining, Indiana just wasn’t going to win.
Freshman Yarden Garzon was as clutch as ever, knocking down a three down from the left corner with 49.5 seconds remaining to tie the game at 65. With the Hoosiers down 66-65. Making it would have given Indiana a one-score lead and the ability to determine the rest of the game.
Harden went 0-of-2 at the line in 21.2 seconds, keeping the game at 66–65. Grace “Miss Indiana” Berger, for whom you have to feel worst after this loss as it was her last college game and came well before the national championship game with reasonable expectations to reach, then a little in the paint The floater missed. It was not a major lapse like Moore-McNeil; Berger ran a bit and the shot was a bit too strong, going behind the rim.
Haley Cavinder, an 88.9 percent free throw shooter this year and 97.3 percent free throw shooter last year at Fresno State (109 of 112), went 2-of-2 at the line to put Miami ahead 68-65. 12.7 seconds left. After making his second free throw, Cavinder silenced the crowd at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers then had a bit of luck when Garzón’s defender fell to dribble toward the basket, even though Indiana had a chance to take a three, allowing Garzón to drop back and hit the three, tying the game at 68. . Israel was ultra-clutch.
There was 6.6 seconds left on the clock for the Hurricanes. Then came Harden’s game winner. The inbound pass was great because it went straight to Harden in the paint. He then stepped around Berger and made the shot. It rolled over the rim, hit the backboard and fell in 3.3 seconds.
Indiana has no timeouts remaining. Moore-McNeil brought the ball up and reached the 3-point line with 0.9 seconds remaining. To be safe, he probably should have prepared to shoot a three, but he also might have had enough time to get off a floater inside the arc if the ball hadn’t been stolen by Jasmine Roberts just as she hit the arc. had crossed.
Down went another No. 1 seed.
Harden further cemented his legacy with this game-winner. She also went on a personal run of 15-0 before hitting the game-winning buzzer-beater in an ACC tournament game last season.
You feel terrible for Indiana, but you have to feel good for Miami head coach Katie Meier, who is headed to her first Sweet 16 as a player, assistant coach or head coach. She made one tournament appearance as a player at Duke before becoming an assistant at UNC Asheville and Tulane. In 2003, as Charlotte’s head coach, she led the 49ers to their first tournament. She’s been in seven second rounds as Miami’s head coach, including back-to-back years as the No. 3 seed in 2011 and 2012 with now-WNBA champion Rikunna Williams. Williams played in the 2011 second round game, but not in the 2012 second round game, as Miami was heartbroken by losing both contests.
No. 4 seed UCLA Bruins over No. 5 seed oklahoma sooners82-73
UCLA’s Charisma Osborne dropped 36 points, including 7-of-7 attempts at the free throw line in the final 24 seconds. She was 12-of-12 in the stripe on the night and added eight rebounds and four assists.
A 3-point play by Oklahoma’s Maddie Williams cut it to six with 51 seconds remaining, but the Sooners were soon forced to foul. Osborne put the game away cold with his free throws.
UCLA trailed by one entering the fourth and led by only four until Emily Bessoir’s free throws with 2:53 remaining made it a six-point game in their favor. Osborne made it an eight-point game with two freebies at 2:20 and then a 10-point game on a jumper in the paint at 1:49. At least six others led the Bruins the rest of the way.
UCLA led by seven after one and 13 at the break before Oklahoma won the third 26–12.
Kiki Rice backed Osborne with 14 points and Gina Conti added five assists.
Williams posted 24 points and six assists in the loss. NCAAW 3-point shooting queen Taylor Robertson was held to 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. The rest of the Sooners were 7-14.
The teams combined attempted 52 free throws.
In the Sweet Sixteen, the Bruins faced undefeated No. They lost to the Gamecocks by just nine in that first meeting.
