Women's March Madness scores, Sweet 16: USC outlasts Kansas State; UConn, TCU, Texas advance to Elite Eight

Monday's quarterfinals feature two rivalries in Texas-TCU and USC-UConn

The Sweet 16 of the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament concluded on Saturday with an entertaining four-game slate, and the Elite Eight is now set. TCU, Texas, UConn and USC joined the party after Duke, South Carolina, LSU and UCLA did so on Friday. 

Notre Dame and TCU opened Saturday's action, and Hailey Van Lith helped power the Horned Frogs to their first Elite Eight in program history. Van Lith tallied 26 points and nine rebounds while Sedona Prince added 21 points and six blocks. Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles comprise what's considered the best backcourt in the sport, but both struggled mightily -- particularly Hidalgo, who went 3 of 19 from the field. 

Women's March Madness 2025: How TCU slowed down Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo to advance to first Elite Eight

Jack Maloney

After a back-and-forth contest through three quarters, Texas took control defensively in the fourth quarter to hold off Tennessee and advance to the Elite Eight. Madison Booker led the way for Texas with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. The sophomore forward added a steal and a block. 

Paige Bueckers dropped 40 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks in an incredible effort against Oklahoma as the Huskies won, 82-59. Bueckers made 6 of her 8 3-point attempts on the night. Ashlynn Shade added 12 points and knocked down two triples off the UConn bench.  

To end the night, USC outlasted Kansas State in a defensive-minded battle. The Trojans had to rely on their defense without star guard JuJu Watkins, who tore her ACL in the team's second-round win over Mississippi State last week. On Saturday they forced the Wildcats into 16 turnovers and held them to 41.1% shooting from the field. The Trojans also got a combined 45 points from their three star freshman, Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel.   

Follow this page for updates throughout Friday's action, and make sure to print out your bracket as the race for the Final Four nears even closer. 

2025 NCAA Women's Tournament Sweet 16 scores

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

Saturday, March 29

Time (ET)	Game	TV / Stream
1 p.m.	(2) TCU 71, (3) Notre Dame 62 Legacy Arena at BJCC -- Birmingham, Ala.	ABC
3:30 p.m.	(1) Texas 67, (5) Tennessee 59 Legacy Arena at BJCC -- Birmingham, Ala.	ABC
5:30 p.m.	(2) UConn 82, (3) Oklahoma 59 Spokane Arena -- Spokane, Wash.	ESPN
8 p.m.	(1) USC 67, (5) Kansas State 61 Spokane Arena -- Spokane, Wash.	ESPN

[Mar 29, 2025 at 10:06 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

FINAL: USC 67, Kansas State 61

After a hard-fought and defensive-minded 40 minutes, the Trojans escaped with a six-point win over the Wildcats despite JuJu Watkins' absence to advance to the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons.

It was the freshman who stepped up for USC, without their leading scorer. Kennedy Smith, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel combined for 45 of the Trojans' 67 points. Meanwhile, the Trojans' trademark defense held the Wildcats to 41.1% shooting and forced 16 turnovers. 

USC will face UConn on Monday in a rematch of last season's Elite Eight matchup, which went the Huskies' way. 

[Mar 29, 2025 at 7:33 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

FINAL: UConn 82, Oklahoma 59

The Huskies are on to the Elite Eight for the 18th time in the last 19 tournaments after cruising past the Sooners in the second half thanks to Paige Bueckers. 

Bueckers was unbelievable in the second half, when she outscored the Sooners by herself, 29-23. All told, Bueckers finished with 40 points on 16 of 27 from the field to set a new career-high and a UConn NCAA Tournament record. Furthermore, Bueckers is now up to fourth place on the Huskies' all-time scoring list with 2,375. 

The Huskies will now take on the USC Trojans in a re-match of last year's Elite Eight. 

[Mar 29, 2025 at 5:51 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Final: (1) Texas 67, (5) Tennessee 59

It wasn't always pretty, but Texas found a way to outlast a tough Tennessee team to advance to the Elite Eight, where they'll meet Hailey Van Lith and TCU. It was a competitive affair until late in the fourth quarter, when Texas' defense helped the Longhorns pull ahead when it mattered most. Madison Booker was impressive to the tune of 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. Taylor Jones added 12 points and eight rebounds. Zee Spearman had a big game off the Tennessee bench, tallying 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. 

[Mar 29, 2025 at 3:09 pm ET · Wajih AlBaroudi]

Final: (2) TCU 71, (3) Notre Dame 62

Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince have powered TCU into its first Elite Eight in program history after knocking off Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs put the clamps on defensively, particularly in the second half, as Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles combined to go 6 of 29 from the field for 25 points. Van Lith scored 26 points on 10 of 21 from the field, while Prince tallied 21 points and a whopping six blocks. Next up for TCU is the winner of Texas vs. Tennessee, and that game tips off at 3:30 p.m. This will be Van Lith's fifth straight Elite Eight appearance following her stints at Louisville and LSU. 

[Mar 29, 2025 at 9:21 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

USC on a 12-0 run

The Trojans have relied on their defense all season long, and their effort on that side of the ball has helped them rip off a 12-0 run in the third quarter. Thanks to this surge, they've built a seven-point lead with 2:22 to play in the frame. They've forced 12 K-State turnovers so far and are holding the Wildcats to 38.9% shooting. 

[Mar 29, 2025 at 8:51 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Halftime: Kansas State 30 -- USC 28

The Wildcats shook off a slow start and outscored the Trojans 21-12 in the second quarter to take the lead going into the break. Neither team is shooting well overall, but the Wildcats have gotten to the line a few more times, which has so far been the difference in the game. 

Each team's star big, Ayoka Lee for Kansas State and Kiki Irafen for USC, has had a tough start. Lee has two points on 1 of 5 shooting, while Iriafen is at two points on 1 of 7. 

[Mar 29, 2025 at 8:21 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

Smith stepping up for USC

USC needed someone to step up on the offensive end without JuJu Watkins, and so far it's been freshman forward Kennedy Smith. She put up 11 points in the first quarter to outscore Kansas State's entire team and get the Trojans out to an early lead.