2023 March Madness women’s Sweet 16 live updates: Iowa defeats Colorado

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament continues Friday with the Sweet 16 getting underway.

Jasmyne Roberts scored a team-high 26 points in the opening game of the day as No. 8 Miami defeated No. 4 Villanova. LSU standout Angel Reese followed that up with a 17-point, 12-rebound outing as the Tigers beat Utah to secure a spot in the Elite Eight.

Later on, Caitlin Clark scored 31 points and dished out eight assists as Iowa defeated Colorado.

Closing out the night, the Ole Miss Rebels, fresh off their upset victory over No. 1 Stanford, will take on Louisville at 10 p.m. ET.

Follow along with all the highlights here.

Iowa 87, Colorado 77

Early run

Frida Formann led the Buffs early in the game as Colorado went on a 12-3 run in the first quarter.

Frida Friday

Formann was dominant with 17 points in first half, keeping the score tight by sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer.

Tempo in transition

Iowa kept it close as the first half ended, with a steal by Sydney Affolter setting up Gabbie Marshall for the lay-up to catch up to Colorado’s 40-39 lead at halftime.

Hawkeyes on the hunt

The Hawkeyes stormed back in the second half, going on a 6-0 run to take the game back with a 47-42 lead.

Quay trey

JaQuaya Miller threw up three fingers in celebration as she knocked down a pivotal 3 to slim the Hawkeyes’ lead to six points midway through the fourth quarter.

Iowa staved off the Buffs’ comeback attempt though, defeating Colorado 87-77 to secure a spot in the Elite Eight.

LSU 66, Utah 63

Looking at you, LSU

The Tigers blazed ahead in the opening minutes of the game, going on a 7-0 run to establish an early lead.

Utes answer

The second-seeded Utes bounced back to keep the score close, and the first quarter closed at an even 16-16.

Catching up

LSU’s LaDazhia Williams spun off the defender for the bucket as the Tigers trailed by five.

Patience is rewarded

Issy Palmer’s patience paid off when she found the open lane to the basket, breaking the Utes out of a 25-25 stalemate. At the end of the first half, Utah led 33-29.

Point for point

The Tigers and Utes kept this game close throughout the third quarter. Williams made it look easy with this basket to tie the game again at 37-37.

Pure gas

Palmer drilled a deep 3-pointer to give the Utes the lead at the end of a back-and-forth third quarter with nonstop action.

No brakes

LaDazhia Williams plowed through Utah’s defense on the way to a 55-52 lead in her highest-scoring game of the season.

Tigers take the W

In a nail-biting final stretch, the LSU Tigers held on to edge the Utes in a 66-63 victory that will send them to the Elite Eight!

Miami (FL) 70, Villanova 65

Slinging heat

The Villanova Wildcats started strong as Lucy Olsen slung a baseline pass over to Christina Dalcee, who capitalized to make it 6-4.

Maddy madness

The Wildcats all-time leading scorer Maddy Siegrist began heating up early on in the game, leading Villanova with nine points in the first quarter.

Canes mean business

But the Canes, who toppled a top-seeded Indiana squad to get to the Sweet 16, had no intention of rolling over. Jasmyne Roberts got wide open at the net and increased the Canes’ lead to 23-17.

Stolen away

Back-to-back buckets from Siegrist and Bella Runyan, who barreled to the basket following a steal, helped the Wildcats trim Miami’s lead in the second quarter.

Holding the lead

The Canes kept a firm grip on their lead through the first half, entering halftime at 46-33, thanks to smooth shots like this by Ja’Leah Williams.

Record-breaking

Siegrist’s dominant performance brought Villanova back into the game, trailing 57-50 at the end of the third quarter. She broke the record for the longest streak of consecutive 20-point games in Division I basketball this century.

Wildcat comeback!

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats came back from 21 points down to take the lead, 60-59, with five minutes left in the game.

Canes storm through

Despite the Wildcat’s late-game push, the Canes kept their edge as Roberts landed another clutch bucket in the final minute of the game to regain the lead, 66-65.

Miami victory!

The Canes punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history with an exciting 70-65 victory.

Ole Miss vs. Louisville

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