Ashlon Jackson's three-pointer at the buzzer gave third-seeded Duke an 87-85 victory over second-seeded LSU in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament. Jackson caught the ball on the wing, faked past defender Flau'Jae Johnson and saw her shot roll around the rim before dropping in, sparking wild celebrations. Duke, now 27-8, will meet top-seeded UCLA in the Sacramento Regional 2 final on Sunday.
Notre Dame also advanced, defeating higher-seeded Vanderbilt 67-64. Hannah Hidalgo recorded an unusual triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals, and set up Cassandre Prosper for the go-ahead basket with 22 seconds remaining. Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, the Division I scoring leader, finished with 26 points but lost the ball in the closing seconds and then missed a three-pointer as time expired.
UCLA eased past Minnesota 80-56, with Kiki Rice scoring 21 points and Lauren Betts adding 16. The Bruins, who have only one loss this season, pulled away in the third quarter and now face Duke on Sunday. Minnesota were led by Grace Grocholski with 12 points.
Defending champions UConn beat North Carolina 63-42 to reach their 30th Elite Eight. Sarah Strong, who grew up near the UNC campus, contributed 21 points and 10 rebounds. UConn will play Notre Dame on Sunday. North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart praised Strong, describing her as a problem for opponents.
