Women's NCAA roundup: Lauren Betts lifts No. 1 UCLA to Elite Eight
Lauren Betts shot 15-for-16 from the floor on the way to 31 points as top-seeded UCLA pulled away from No. 5 Ole Miss in the second half of a 76-62 win in Spokane 1 Region play in Spokane, Wash., on Friday.
Betts delivered her second consecutive 30-point-plus performance of the NCAA Tournament, doing so while matching the career high for made field goals she set in November against Colgate.
Behind Betts' dominant performance on the inside, UCLA (33-2) outscored Ole Miss (22-11) in the paint 48-34. Betts also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Kiki Rice finished with 13 points and dished a game-high seven assists for the Bruins, who advance to face No. 3 LSU in the regional final on Sunday.
Tameiya Sadler led Ole Miss with 14 points, while Kennedy Todd-Williams and KK Deans each scored 13. Todd-Williams and Christeen Iwuala each grabbed nine rebounds.
No. 3 LSU 80, No. 2 NC State 73
Aneesah Morrow scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as the Tigers rallied past the Wolfpack in the semifinals of the Spokane 1 Region of the Women's NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Wash.
The Tigers scored the game's final 10 points in the last two minutes. Sa'Myah Smith finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Mikaylah Williams added 19 points for the Tigers (31-5). LSU will play No. 1 seed UCLA in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
Zoe Brooks scored 21, Zamareya Jones had 13 and Aziaha James 12 to lead the Wolfpack (28-7), whose last points came on a Brooks layup that produced a 73-70 lead.
No. 1 South Carolina 71, No. 4 Maryland 67
MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 23 points off the bench and the defending champion Gamecocks prevailed against the Terrapins in the Birmingham Region 2 semifinal of the Women's NCAA Tournament.
Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the top-seeded Gamecocks (33-3), who will meet second-seeded Duke in Sunday's regional final in Birmingham, Ala. The Gamecocks defeated Duke 81-70 at home on Dec. 5 as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Kaylene Smikle led Maryland (25-8) with 17 points, while Allie Kubek and Sarah Te-Biasu both had 12 points and Shyanne Sellers posted 10 points. Smikle and Kubek fouled out as the Terrapins were forced to commit infractions in the final minute.
No. 2 Duke 47, No. 3 North Carolina 38
Oluchi Okananwa had 12 points and 12 rebounds off the bench and the Blue Devils used a stifling defense to subdue the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16 of the Women's NCAA Tournament in the Birmingham 2 Region.
Ashlon Jackson scored 10 points for Duke, which won despite shooting 31 percent from the field and going 5-for-24 on 3-pointers. The Blue Devils (29-7), who've won nine in a row, will meet No. 1 seed South Carolina in Sunday's regional final.
North Carolina (29-8) shot 28.3 percent for the game and 3-for-11 on 3-pointers. The Tar Heels, who committed 15 turnovers, also suffered at the free-throw line, going 5-for-10. Alyssa Ustby's nine points and 10 rebounds and Indya Nivar's eight points paced North Carolina.
--Field Level Media
Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former UCLA AD expects Elliott to thrive at UH
The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents will meet on Monday, June 16, to vote on the approval of Matt Elliott as the next athletics director for the Rainbow Warriors. Elliott, most recently with the Hawai'i Community Foundation, spent 13 years in athletic administration at UCLA, including as chief strategy officer. He played a key role in leading the Bruins into the Big Ten Conference. According to former UCLA athletics director Dan Guerrero, Elliott is well prepared to thrive in his new role at UH. 'Well, it became very obvious the first time I met Matt that he had something special,' Guerrero said. 'Over the course of 10 years that he was with me, he proved that he was one of the finest administrators that I've had the ability to work with.' Guerrero, who was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 2021 Hall of Fame class, noted that Elliott's path into athletics administration was unconventional. 'When I first met him, he was a very successful attorney working for Ropes & Gray out of Boston in their sports practice,' Guerrero said. 'He was working with agents, writing contracts, doing compliance and infractions issues, all those kinds of things. But he wanted to work on a campus, to be involved with student-athletes. For him to leave a prestigious law firm and a great salary to essentially walk into an entry-level compliance role at a major university took a huge leap of faith. We sort of bet on each other, and it all turned out exactly as I thought it would. He'll be special for Hawai'i.' Guerrero believes Elliott's nontraditional background is a particular strength in today's rapidly evolving college athletics landscape. 'For him to bring experiences from outside the traditional world of college athletics adds value,' Guerrero said. 'In the 10 years he was at UCLA, he was among the very best. He knows how to win. He's been around it, working with national championship coaches and student-athletes. But he also knows the other parts of the business, the parts that can make or break you. 'I put him in charge of all our risk management. It was a natural fit with his background, and the policies and protocols he implemented saved us many times. He brings that perspective while also managing budgets, working with coaches and student-athletes, and building relationships both internally and externally.' Looking ahead to Elliott's transition to Hawai'i, Guerrero acknowledged the unique challenges of running a Division I program in the islands. 'Obviously, the geographic situation creates an innate challenge for any athletics program there,' Guerrero said. 'It takes a village, no one does this in a vacuum. You have to build authentic relationships to get the support you need. That requires hard work, really busting your tail to make inroads with the right people. 'One of Matt's strengths is in governmental relations. At UCLA, he was my point person on that. He often testified to the state legislature on my behalf. He understands that politics play a big part in being successful on any campus, but especially in Hawai'i, where everyone is invested in the welfare of the university and the athletics department. Matt can navigate those waters successfully.' Elliott was selected by UH president Wendy Hensel to be the next athletics director. If approved by the Board of Regents on Monday, he will officially take over the role. Stay with KHON2 Sports, on-air and online, for continuing coverage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
UNC baseball gets Luke Stevenson replacement with transfer portal commitment
UNC baseball gets Luke Stevenson replacement with transfer portal commitment Can UNC's first baseball transfer portal commitment make an immediate impact in 2026? Georgia State transfer catcher Colin Hynek has committed to North Carolina. In 2025, he hit .230 with 18 HRs and 45 RBIs, leading the team in homers and ranking fourth in RBIs and total bases. He had a .586 SLG, .396 OBP, and 36 walks. — Chris Smith (@chrismithunc) June 7, 2025 The UNC baseball team is extremely lucky to have Luke Stevenson behind the dish, but his time in Chapel Hill is likely coming to an end after the current season. Stevenson, mocked to be a first-round pick in July's MLB Draft, is a do-it-all catcher. Stevenson is the Diamond Heels' top power source, mashing 19 home runs, while he's also a defensive stalwart with only two errors. With Stevenson likely gone in 2026, North Carolina needs an answer at catcher. UNC also carries Liberty transfer Macaddin Dye behind the plate, plus Juco transfer Rom Kellis, but wants to add another option. The Diamond Heels are hoping that their latest roster addition is their answer behind the dish. On Saturday, North Carolina secured a commitment from Georgia State transfer Colin Hynek, who started 105 of the 132 games he played in Atlanta. Like Stevenson, Hynek is also a power threat at the plate, mashing 33 home runs and driving in 91 runs across thre seasons. By coming to Chapel Hill, Hynek will have a significantly better shot at competing for a championship. Georgia State just completed a 26-30 campaign and hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2009, while UNC is playing in the Super Regional round for a second-consecutive season. If you're following recent transactions across college baseball, there's plenty of transfers already in the portal, particularly from the Virginia Cavaliers. The Diamond Heels will benefit from adding more starting pitching to their 2026 roster, while more hitting power couldn't hurt. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.


San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Luke Mistone hits go-ahead homer in the 8th to help Murray State advance to the program's first CWS
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Luke Mistone hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, Graham Kelham was solid in another long relief appearance, and Murray State beat Duke 5-4 on Monday night in a winner-take-all championship game at the Durham Super Regional to advance to the program's first College World Series. Murray State (44-15) became the fourth No. 4 seed to advance to Omaha, Nebraska. Duke (40-20) was seeking its first appearance in the CWS since 1961. Jonathan Hogart hit his second home run of the game in the seventh inning — his 21st of the season — into the pine trees over the left-field wall to tie it at 3. Murray State retook the lead in the eighth on Mistone's leadoff shot — just his fourth homer of the year. Then Dan Tauken's triple scored Will Vierling from first for a 5-3 lead after the ball caromed off the wall toward center field. Later in the eighth, the Racers had the bases loaded with no outs after back-to-back walks but James Tallon struck out two and got a groundout to end the threat. Murray State appeared to win the game after an interference call at second base, but it was overturned after an official review to give Duke another chance. Kelham regrouped after the celebration to get a groundout to first to end it. Kelham, who threw 43 pitches on Sunday in a three-inning save, struck out four in 2 2/3 innings for his fourth win of the season. ___