Sweet 16 next for Korngable, Ustby
Mar. 23—Rochester Mayo and Lourdes graduates and basketball stars Olivia Korngable and Alyssa Ustby, respectively, both found "sweet" success the last few days in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Their teams — the University of South Dakota and the University of North Carolina — each were winners in the tournament's second round, landing both in the Sweet 16. Korngable and No. 10 seed South Dakota beat No. 2 seed Baylor, 61-47, while Ustby and No. 5 seed North Carolina beat No. 4 seed Arizona 63-45.
Here is a look at what happened and what's next.
South Dakota pulled off a stunner Sunday, beating No. 2 seed Baylor 61-47 on Baylor's home court (Waco, Texas) in the NCAA Tournament's second round. The Coyotes' win ended Baylor's streak of 12 straight Sweet 16 appearances and put South Dakota in that round for the first time ever. It was also the first time a Summit League team had beaten a top-10 nationally ranked team since 1994. Baylor was ranked seventh.
South Dakota led from start to finish. Its three senior stars — guard Korngable, center Hannah Sjerven and guard Chloe Lamb — all stood out again. Korngable had 11 points and five assists, Sjerven 16 points and Lamb 15 points (3-for-6 3-pointers). South Dakota's top-10 ranked defense held Baylor to its lowest scoring output all season. Baylor shot just 32% from the field.
Korngable finished 4-for-11 from the field (1-2 on 3-pointers) and also had a steal and two rebounds.
Next: No. 10 seed South Dakota (29-5) plays No. 3 seed Michigan (24-6) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) in the Sweet 16 at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Michigan beat No. 11 seed Villanova 64-49 in its second-round game Monday at Anna Arbor, Mich. Naz Hillman (6-2 senior forward) recorded her 50th career double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Wolverines. Hillman hit 12 of 16 shots and also totaled five steals. Hillman averages 21.3 points (58% from the field) and 9.6 rebounds and is an All-America. Guard Leigha Brown is Michigan's next-highest scorer at 14.7 ppg.
South Dakota is led by Lamb (16 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3 assists per game), 6-2 center Sjerven (14.8 ppg., 7.8 rpg.) and Korngable (12.8 ppg., 3.7 apg., 2.4 rpg.). All three were named to the All-Summit League team. Lamb was named the league's Player of the Year.
No. 5 seed North Carolina (17th ranked in the country) made it look easy in its second-round game Monday, drilling No. 4 seed Arizona 63-45 in Tucson, Ariz. North Carolina sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams had a career-high 19 points, as well as 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. All-ACC first-team guard Deja Kelly had 15 points and fellow All-ACC player and Lourdes graduate Ustby had 12 points and 12 rebounds, her 13th double-double of the season.
Ustby, a 6-1 sophomore forward, was 5-for-13 from the field. She also added four assists and four steals.
North Carolina built a 28-17 halftime lead in the low-scoring game. Arizona had lost just once at home this season. It marks the first time since 2011 that the Tar Heels have reached the Sweet 16.
Next: No. 5 seed North Carolina (25-6) plays No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranked South Carolina (31-2) at 7 p.m. Friday (ESPN) in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro, N.C.
South Carolina beat No. 8 seed Miami 49-33 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks won despite shooting just 30% from the field. Miami shot 24%.
Aiyah Boston (6-5 junior forward) led No. 1-ranked South Carolina with 10 points and 16 rebounds, her 26th double-double in a row. South Carolina has allowed just 21 and 33 points, respectively, in the first two rounds of the tournament. Boston is the Gamecocks' top player, averaging 16.4 points (53% field goals), 12.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Destan Henderson and Zia Cooke each average 11 points.
North Carolina's top player is Kelly, its first-team All-ACC sophomore guard. Kelly averages 16.3 ppg. and 3.6 rpg. and 2.6 apg.. Ustby averages 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Tar Heels have won six of their last seven games.
