Washington U. returned to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 and eliminated the hosts as the Bears defeated Luther 59-58. In fact, it was a great day to be a Bear, as the Wash U men advanced as well. Scroll up for more men's coverage. The Bears squeaked one out in front of 2,000 fans in Decorah, Iowa, with a late 15-2 run. Zoe Unruh scored 11 points in the victory.
Unranked heading into the tournament, Puget Sound stifled No. 2 Howard Payne, holding the Yellow Jackets to just seven field goals in each half, to survive, 47-44. The Loggers, the runners-up in the Northwest Conference, get their second shot at a sectional title.
We'll have a rematch of a Sweet 16 game from last season one round later. No. 1 Bowdoin and No. 10 Mary Washington will go toe-to-toe at the Long Center in Scranton, Pa. Mary Washington ended Scranton's 63-game home win streak with a 48-45 victory to get a long-awaited rematch with the Polar Bears and a chance to go to Springfield. Scranton shot just 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the loss.
Senior forward Lisa Tracy scored 15 points on a night when the Eagles' top scorer, Debbie Bruen, was held to just four and the team shot just 30%. Scranton seniors Taryn Mellody and Allison Matt closed memorable careers as the school's second and 12th all-time leading scorers. More women's scores.
Bowdoin topped Rochester 63-53 to reach the Elite Eight for the sixth year in a row as the frontcourt of Jill Anelauskas and Eileen Flaherty combined for 40 points. Alex Porter had 15 points for Rochester in defeat.
NYU gave the UAA something else to feel good about as well, with a 76-58 win over Simpson. Senior Karen Bachman went 11-for-15 from the field for a career-high 25 points for the Purple Violets, who get NJAC champ Kean, which topped ODAC champ Randolph-Macon, 68-60 in the other sectional semi. Ebony Allen and Ebony Jackson scored 19 and 17 in the Kean win. The Cougars are one win from their second Final Four appearance.
A gutsy performance by both teams ended with Calvin prevailing over Southern Maine, 60-56. The shorthanded Knights got 14 points from Brook VanEck and 13 points from Jostens winner Lisa Winkle in the win, offsetting the remarkable performance of Southern Maine's Ashley Marble, who scored 32 points in her final collegiate game. The Huskies (27-3) had two chances to tie in the final 20 seconds but came up empty, after rallying from a nine-point halftime deficit.
DePauw's depth was too much for host Emmanuel, as 13 Tigers scored in a 74-50 victory. DePauw is in the Elite 8 for the second straight season. Cazzie Pruzin was the only scorer in double digits for DePauw, finishing with 12 points. DePauw shot 7-for-11 from 3-point range in the win. Emmanuel finishes at 29-2.