Van Lith has double-double and TCU women going to 1st Sweet 16 in after 85-70 win over Louisville
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Agnes Emma-Nnopu scored 23 points with four 3-pointers, Hailey Van Lith had a double-double against her former team and second-seeded TCU advanced to its first NCAA Sweet 16 in the women's NCAA Tournament with an 85-70 win over seventh-seeded Louisville on Sunday.
Van Lith had 16 points and 10 assists after going to a Final Four and two other Elite Eight games with Louisville from 2021-23. She played in her 19th tourney game, the most among active players, after going to another Elite Eight with LSU last season.
Sedona Prince had 19 points and Donovyn Hunter 18, including three 3-pointers in a 17-0 run that put the Horned Frogs (33-3) ahead to stay.
Jayda Curry had a career-high 41 points for the Cardinals (22-11). She already had 15 of those when when she made a jumper that put them up 17-13 with 2:57 left in the first quarter. before TCU's game-turning run when Van Lith made the go-ahead basket.
Before winning twice at home when hosting for the first time, the Big 12 champion Horned Frogs hadn't even made the NCAA field in 15 years — and last won a tourney game since 2006. They were 1-17 in conference games two years ago before Mark Campbell became their coach and has since brought in 11 transfers, most with NCAA experience.
They are now headed to Birmingham, Alabama, and a rematch with third-seeded Notre Dame (28-5). TCU beat the Fighting Irish 76-68 in the Cayman Islands on Nov. 29, an early indication of what could be a special season for the Frogs.
Curry opened the game with a steal and a breakaway layup after a bad pass by Van Lith. After her fast start, the Cardinals missed 13 shots in a row before finally score again nearly six minutes into the second quarter.
Olivia Cochran finished a five-season career with Louisville by scoring 15 points.
Hunter, who was on Oregon State's team that beat Notre Dame in last year's Sweet 16, made her first 3 with 1:59 left in the first quarter to start that run. She made consecutive 3s to open the second quarter.
Emma-Nnopu was part of Stanford's national championship as a freshman in 2021 and went to another Final Four with the Cardinal as a sophomore.
Takeaways
Louisville, now with five freshmen playing regular minutes, had made it to at least the Elite Eight in five consecutive seasons before losing a first-round game last year, its only time doing that in 16 tourney appearances for coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals would have faced Van Lith and LSU in the second round last year had they not lost to 11th-seeded Middle Tennessee.
TCU finished 21-0 inside Schollmaier Arena this season, and have won 24 home games in a row overall. The Frogs led 47-26 at halftime, matching their largest lead. They shot 70% (19 of 27) in the first half while not missing consecutive shots and twice making six in a row.
___
AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Yastrzemski's RBI single caps a four-run ninth as the Giants beat the Rockies 6-5
San Francisco Giants' Casey Schmitt circles the bases after hitting a solo home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Zach Agnos in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Zach Agnos waits to be pulled from the mound after issuing a walk to San Francisco Giants' Willy Adames in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos tosses his bat as he watches the flight of his sacrifice fly to drive in a run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Victor Vodnik in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Francisco Giants' Mike Yastrzemski singles to drive in the go-ahead run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Victor Vodnik in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Francisco Giants' Mike Yastrzemski singles to drive in the go-ahead run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Victor Vodnik in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Francisco Giants' Casey Schmitt circles the bases after hitting a solo home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Zach Agnos in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Zach Agnos waits to be pulled from the mound after issuing a walk to San Francisco Giants' Willy Adames in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos tosses his bat as he watches the flight of his sacrifice fly to drive in a run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Victor Vodnik in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Francisco Giants' Mike Yastrzemski singles to drive in the go-ahead run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Victor Vodnik in the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski hit the go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning, Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt homered and the San Francisco Giants beat Colorado Rockies 6-5 on Tuesday night for their sixth win in a row — all by one run. Schmitt's home run off Zach Agnos (0-3) leading off the ninth started a four-run inning after Colorado relievers Jake Bird, Seth Halvorsen, Tyler Kinley had retired 12 consecutive Giants batters. Advertisement The Rockies have lost four in a row following their first three-game winning streak and fell to 12-54. Erik Miller (3-0) came on in the eighth with a runner on third, walked Mickey Moniak and then struck out Ryan Ritter to end inning. Camilo Doval gave up two hits and a walk but got Jordan Beck to ground into a 5-4-3 double play in a scoreless ninth for his 10th save of the season. Jung Hoo Lee led off the game with a triple and Adames followed with a sacrifice fly. Ryan Ritter had a RBI single and Ryan McMahon and Kyle Farmer each hit a solo shot before Hunter Goodman and Doyle tripled in Colorado's two-run eighth. Advertisement Key moment After Schmitt's homer, Tyler Fitzgerald and Andrew Knizner drew back-to-back walks, moved up a base on a wild pitch and Adames drew an eight-pitch walk before Victor Vodnik replaced Agnos. Heliot Ramos hit a sacrifice fly, Wilmer Flores followed with an RBI infield single and Yastrzemski gave the Giants the lead. Key stat Each of San Francisco's last eight games has been decided by one run and the Giants, who lead the majors with 17 one-run wins, are the first team to win six consecutive games by one run since the 1989 California Angels. Up next Robbie Ray (8-1, 2.44 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Wednesday for the Giants against Kyle Freeland (1-8, 5.19 ERA) in the second of a three-game series. ___ AP MLB:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Texas WCWS final win sets ESPN record with most-watched College softball game ever
Texas WCWS final win sets ESPN record with most-watched College softball game ever ESPN reported that the decisive Game 3 of the championship series averaged 2.4 million viewers and peaked at 2.7 million, making it the most-watched NCAA softball game ever. The Texas Longhorns made history at the 2025 Women's College World Series, capturing their first-ever national championship and setting new television viewership records across all three games of the finals. ESPN reported that the decisive Game 3 of the championship series averaged 2.4 million viewers and peaked at 2.7 million, making it the most-watched NCAA softball game ever. Games 1 and 2 also broke records, each averaging 2.1 million viewers—the highest ever for the opening two games of a WCWS final. Game 1 peaked at 2.8 million viewers, while Game 2 reached a peak of 2.6 million. The all-Texas matchup between the Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders marked the first time since 2004 that both championship participants hailed from the same state, reviving the storied rivalry from their Big 12 days. The series spotlighted a marquee pitching showdown between Texas ace Teagan Kavan and Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady. Kavan, who entered the finals with a perfect 3-0 record against Canady, extended her dominance to 5-0 after two more victories in the championship series. Fans were treated to a dramatic three-game set. Game 1 delivered a classic pitchers' duel, featuring a controversial obstruction call and a bizarre game-winning hit for Texas in the sixth inning. The Red Raiders bounced back in Game 2, capitalizing on Texas errors to force a decisive Game 3. In the winner-take-all finale, the Longhorns erupted for five runs in the first inning, forcing Canady out of the game. A grand slam sealed Texas' commanding victory and their first national title in program history.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Kirk Cousins sounds resigned to his sad Falcons fate
Kirk Cousins might have already accepted his football fate. Cousins was at the Falcons' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and seemed to know that his days as a starting quarterback in the NFL might be over. 'Obviously, you'd love to play,' Cousins told reporters. 'But I'm not gonna dwell on things that aren't reality.' Advertisement Cousins, 36, is coming off one of his worst seasons in the league in his 13-year career. He started in 14 games for the Falcons, throwing 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions with a QBR of 50.4 Advertisement His season came to an end after being benched for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in week 16, as the Falcons missed out on the playoffs. It's expected that Cousins will become Penix's backup this year, as Atlanta might be left with the 36-year-old quarterback at the start of the 2025 season. Many thought the Falcons would wait until the June 1 deadline to cut the $180 million quarterback, but that deadline has come and gone, and Cousins is still in Atlanta. 3 Kirk Cousins at Falcons minicamp. AP Advertisement That leaves the only option for both parties — a trade. Nevertheless, even that seems less likely with each passing day. 3 Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. together at Falcons minicamp. AP The Steelers were the last team that desperately needed a quarterback but now have their guy in Aaron Rodgers. Advertisement Cousins said he's not looking at the past and hopes the Falcons have success this year. 3 Kirk Cousins in action at Falcons minicamp. AP 'Certainly there were conversations in January, February, March, even April, but we're moving forward now,' Cousins added. 'Those are things we talked about months ago. Now we need to move forward. Right now, it's about the situation I'm in and being the best I can be and hopefully, in February, we as an organization are holding up the Lombardi Trophy.'
