NCAA Women's Tournament: Texas routs Gonzaga, to face NC State in Elite Eight

South Carolina and Stanford both had upset scares, but only the Cardinal fell

The NCAA Women's Tournament resumed with the Sweet 16 on Friday, and this round is already providing plenty of surprises. 

Friday's action got underway with a stunner as No. 3 seed Oregon State took down No. 2 seed Notre Dame to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2018. Despite turning the ball over a whopping 26 times, the Beavers made just enough plays down the stretch to hang on. Timea Gardiner and Raegan Beers led the way, combining for 39 points, 24 rebounds and five assists on 18 of 27 from the field. As a team, the Beavers out-rebounded the Fighting Irish 43-24 and outscored them 40-28 in the paint. 

Top overall seed South Carolina, meanwhile, survived a stunning upset scare from No. 4 seed Indiana to advance to the Elite Eight. After leading by as much as 22, the Gamecocks allowed the Hoosiers to get back into the game, and the contest was in question up until the final few possessions. Ashlyn Watkins made a clutch block on Yarden Garzon late to seal the 79-75 win for South Carolina, improving the Gamecocks' perfect record to 35-0. South Carolina will meet Oregon State on Monday in Portland, Oregon. 

The Gamecocks survived their upset scare, but Stanford can't stay the same. The Cardinal blew a 10-point lead over NC State to fall, 77-67, and it was a particularly crushing outcome for Cameron Brink, who fouled out with 8:10 to go in her final collegiate game. Aziaha James was instrumental in pulling off the upset win, going off for 25 second-half points. 

In the nightcap, Texas cruised past Gonzaga, 70-47. The Longhorns stormed out to a 37-18 halftime lead, and were never really threatened. Junior forward Aaliyah Moore led Texas with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Longhorns will face NC State on Monday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

2024 NCAA Women's Tournament schedule, scores

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

Friday, March 29

• (3) Oregon State 70, (2) Notre Dame 65
• (1) South Carolina 79, (4) Indiana 75
• (3) NC State 77, (2) Stanford 67
• (1) Texas 70, (4) Gonzaga 47

Saturday, March 30

• (2) UCLA vs. (3) LSU, 1 p.m., ABC
• (1) Iowa vs. (5) Colorado, 3:30 p.m., ABC
• (1) USC vs. (5) Baylor, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
• (3) Connecticut vs. (7) Duke, 8 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, March 31

• (1) South Carolina vs. (3) Oregon State, 1 p.m., ABC
• (1) Texas vs. (3) NC State, 3 p.m., ABC

Monday, April 1

• Iowa-Colorado winner vs. UCLA-LSU winner, TBD
• USC-Baylor winner vs. Connecticut-Duke winner, TBD

Friday, April 5

• Semifinal 1, TBD
• Semifinal 2, TBD

Sunday, April 7

• National championship, TBD

CBS Sports will be with you the entire way updating this story with the latest from every Sweet 16 game over the next two days. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights throughout the evening.

[Mar 30, 2024 at 12:11 am ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(1) Texas 69, (4) Gonzaga 47 | Final

The Longhorns are advancing to the Elite Eight for the third time in four years. Gonzaga started a comeback effort in the third quarter after struggling with shooting most of the game, but the Longhorns held on strong and continued pressing until the last second.

Texas won the battle in the paint 36-18. They also outrebounded Gonzaga 39-26. Aaliyah Moore and Shaylee Gonzales led Texas' offense with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Gonzaga had multiple scoreless droughts through the game and finished the night shooting 27% from the field. Yvonne Ejim, who fouled out, led Gonzaga's effort with 14 points and five rebounds. 

Up next, Texas is taking on NC State in the next round.

[Mar 29, 2024 at 9:48 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(3) NC State 77, (2) Stanford 67 | Final

Stanford held a 37-27 advantage at halftime but Cameron Brink fouling out early in the fourth quarter when NC State was picking up momentum led to a devastating result for the Cardinal. This was the largest blown halftime lead for Stanford in NCAA Tournament history. 

Meanwhile, NC State gets to celebrate the program's third ever Sweet 16. Wolfpack junior guard Aziaha James registered a game-high 29 points by going 8-for-14 from the field, including three buckets from beyond the arc.

Up next, NC State will take on the winner of the Gonzaga vs. Texas matchup.

[Mar 30, 2024 at 12:02 am ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Gonzaga forward Eliza Hollingsworth gets helped off the floor with 22 seconds remaining in the game. She is not putting any weight on her left foot.

[Mar 29, 2024 at 11:40 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(1) Texas 54, (4) Gonzaga 35 | End of Q3

Gonzaga played a much better game in the third quarter and matched Texas 17-17 in those 10 minutes. However, the Zags still have a long way to go if they want to complete their comeback. Brynna Maxwell leads Gonzaga with 13 points. Meanwhile, Shaylee Gonzales leads the Longhorns with 15 points going 6-for-10 from the field, in cladding 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

[Mar 29, 2024 at 11:29 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Aliyah Moore leaves the floor

Texas forward Aaliyah Moore exits the court with 2:27 left in the third quarter with what looks to be a cramp.

[Mar 29, 2024 at 11:27 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Gonzaga plotting a comeback?

The Zags have been struggling offensively all night, but they are not giving up. Fans at Moda Center started "let's go Zags" chants and that gave Gonzaga new energy. They are winning the third quarter 15-11 with three minutes remaining. Texas still leads 48-33.

[Mar 29, 2024 at 11:05 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(1) Texas 37, (4) Gonzaga 18 | Halftime

Texas has seven players score so far with Shay Holle's 10 points leading the way. Aaliyah Moore is contributing with nine and Shaylee Gonzales has eight more. 

Meanwhile, Gonzaga is struggling to get much going. The Zags failed to score a field goal in the last 6:37 of the second quarter. As a team, Gonzaga is just 3-for-21 from the field. The team has been averaging 80.9 points per game this season shooting at 48.6%.

[Mar 29, 2024 at 10:50 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Texas leads 29-16 with 2:52 remaining in the first half. Gonzaga continues struggling offensively with just three field goals in 20 attempts so far. The Zags are on another scoring drought without a field goal in almost four minutes. 

[Mar 29, 2024 at 10:29 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

(1) Texas 18, (4) Gonzaga 9 | End of Q1

It was a tight game early on with four lead changes but Gonzaga has struggled offensively and the Longhorns are pulling away. The Zags have gone almost six minutes without a field goal and they went 2-for-11 from the field in the first 10 minutes. Texas has five players score so far, with Shay Holle and Shaylee Gonzales leading with five points each. As a team, the Longhorns are 7-for-16 from the field.