NCAA women's conference tournaments: UConn cruises past Creighton to fifth straight Big East championship

UConn's Paige Bueckers led the way with 24 points in the 70-50 victory

March is in full swing, and all of the major women's conferences have now held their respective tournaments. No. 3 Connecticut secured the Big East title Monday night, joining Duke, South Carolina, TCU and UCLA, who all clinched their crowns on Sunday.

2025 Women's NCAA Tournament: Conference winners, champions, automatic bids, bracket, where to watch

CBS Sports Staff

Big East: UConn 70, Creighton 50

The Connecticut Huskies captured the Women's Big East Tournament championship Monday night, defeating the Creighton Blue Jays, 70-50, at one of the Huskies' homes away from home, Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. The victory gave UConn a fifth straight Big East Tournament title and an expected No. 2 seed when the NCAA Tournament field gets announced Sunday night.  

UConn's Paige Bueckers tallied 24 points and three assists to earn her third conference tournament most outstanding player award. The guard, who has announced she will declare for next month's WNBA Draft, is the only UConn player to win three Big East MOP awards. "It's very cool," she said postgame. "It's very hard to do something that's never been done at UConn before." 

She has one more shot at an elusive national championship. During the Bueckers era, UConn has reached the championship game in only 2022, when the Huskies fell to Aliyah Boston and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Earlier this season, the Huskies flat out embarrassed the Gamecocks, 69-49. Should the two women's basketball powerhouses meet again this season, there could be an NCAA title on the line. 

ACC: Duke 76, NC State 62

NC State opened the game with a 7-0 run and controlled the first quarter. However, Duke made adjustments and completely shifted the momentum after halftime. The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle 44-28, and their bench beat NC State's 33-4. Oluchi Okananwa was a key part of that effort with a career-high 22 points off the bench. She completed her fifth career double-double with 10 rebounds. Staring guard Ashlon Jackson also gave Duke 22 points.

The game saw an injury scare for NC State's leading scorer Aziaha James, who had to be helped off the court late in the second quarter after a hard fall. She was seen on a wheelchair immediately after, but she checked back in during the third quarter. James finished the day with a team-high 18 points. Zoe Brooks and Saniya Rivers were also top contributors for NC State with 17 and 16 points, respectively.

SEC: South Carolina 64, Texas 45

Sunday marked South Carolina's ninth SEC tournament championship win, and the third consecutive one. Dawn Staley's team completed an undefeated season during their 2024-25 campaign, and while that won't be the case this time around, the Gamecocks showed why they will be one of the favorites to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Texas did not have an answer for South Carolina's defense and Longhorns who are not Rori Harmon, Madison Booker or Taylor Jones combined for just two field goals all said. The second quarter was a particularly tough one for Vic Schaefer's squad as they got out scored 21-6 while turning the ball over six time and having just one assist.

South Carolina had eight players score at least two points, while Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson, Sania Feagin and Joyce Edwards reached double-digits.

Big Ten: UCLA 72, USC 67

After two tough loses to rival USC (29-3) during the regular season, the Bruins (30-2) got their revenge and earned their first Big Ten tournament trophy the process. Those were the only two losses for the Bruins, who spent 12 weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

Lauren Betts said her team had gone over their last loss to USC in a tough film session before the tournament, and it seems that strategy paid off. The win was a full team effort, but Betts gave the team an extra spark after the break by overcoming a quiet first half. She had a strong performance on both sides of the court that included 17 points, five rebounds, five blocks and five steals.

Meanwhile, JuJu Watkins led the Trojans' efforts with 29 points. She didn't get the hardware, but the sophomore has officially surpassed former Iowa star Caitlin Clark -- the NCAA all-time leading scorer -- on the list of most points by a women's college basketball player through their first two seasons.

Big 12: TCU 64, Baylor 59

The Horned Frogs finished last in the Big 12 two years ago, but Mark Campbell has turned things around by winning both the conference regular season title and the tournament in 2025.

Hailey Van Lith, who started her career at Louisville and then spent one season at LSU, has been a key piece of the puzzle. She had played in three previous conference tournament title games but this marked the first time she emerged victorious on this stage. She has always been a competitive player, but this one mattered a little more because it's her last college basketball season. After only scoring four points in the first half, she finished the day with a team-high 20 points while going a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.

With Sunday's win, TCU has won all three meetings with Baylor this season. The Bears' efforts were led by Aaronette Vonleh with 20 points and six rebounds.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 7:36 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Big 12 final: TCU 64, Baylor 59

The Horned Frogs knocked off Baylor to earn their first Big 12 Tournament title and conference tournament title since 2005, when they played in Conference USA. TCU's Hailey Van Lith was held to just four points in the first half, but she turned up the heat later on and finished the game with 20 points. This was a meaningful game for her because it was her fourth conference title game -- something she also experienced with LSU and Louisville. This is her last college basketball season and she finally got to hoist a conference championship trophy.

"They were doubling me off every ball screen," Van Lith said on the broadcast "They didn't want me to have the ball and that's OK, I made passes. When the time came to make shots in the second half, I took them."

Sedona Price was another impactful player for TCU as she finished with a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds, 10 of those in the first half. Meanwhile, Aaronette Vonleh led Baylor with 20 points and six rebounds.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 7:15 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Watkins passes Caitlin Clark on all-time list

Although USC didn't win the Big Ten tournament on Sunday, JuJu Watkins still made history. She finished the game with 29 points and has officially surpassed NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark on the list of most points by a women's college basketball player through their first two seasons.

With the NCAA Tournament ahead, Watkins is now second all-time for most points in a player's first two seasons. She moved past Clark, but still trails Kelsey Mitchell, who scored 1,762 points in her first two seasons at Ohio State. Watkins is up to 1,684 while Clark scored 1,662 points in her first two seasons at Iowa. 

[Mar 9, 2025 at 6:56 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Big Ten final: UCLA 72, USC 67

UCLA won the Big Ten Tournament in its first season in the conference, using a strong defensive effort in the second half to get revenge over the USC after losing twice to the Trojans earlier this season. USC played until the very last second and made it a one-possession game with 3.4 remaining on the clock, but time was not on the Trojans' side after the Bruins stormed back from a double-digit deficit to win.

USC led by 13 points early in the third quarter, but shot just 22% in the second half as the Bruins clawed their way back. UCLA star Lauren Betts had a quiet first half with four points, but she bounced back to finish the game with a team-high 17 points while going 5 of 5 from the field in the second half.

"I'm so freaking proud of this team," Betts told CBS Sports. "We earned that game, we earned this. We worked our butts off, stayed together. We learned. We could have given up after we lost both games this season. We just weren't done."

[Mar 9, 2025 at 6:13 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: TCU 30, Baylor 19

The Horned Frogs outscored the Bears 15-8 in the second quarter to enter halftime with a double-digit lead. It's not a huge lead considering Baylor has gone just 7 of 27 from the field. TCU has 15 turnovers, compared to just eight for Baylor, but those haven't been too costly yet.

The Horned Frogs are winning the rebounding battle 21-9, with Sedona Prince being responsible for 10 of those in the first two quarters. TCU's Madison Connor and Donovyn Hunter lead all scorers with eight points each.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 5:41 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: USC 45, UCLA 35

The Bruins are trying to get revenge after the Trojans won their first two meetings, but so far Lindsay Gottlieb's team has controlled the Big Ten title game.

A 3-pointer by Londynn Jones made it just a one-point deficit for UCLA with 2:28 left in the second quarter, the Trojans went on a run to enter the break with a double-digit advantage. Like in the two previous encounters, it seems the Bruins haven't found an answer for JuJu Watkins, who leads all scorers with 18 points

UCLA star Lauren Betts had a quiet first half with just six points. Angela Dugalic leads the Bruins' offensive efforts with eight points.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 5:16 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

SEC final: South Carolina 64, Texas 45

The Gamecocks have won the SEC Tournament for the third consecutive year thanks to a strong defensive effort against Texas. South Carolina also won three consecutive trophies from 2015-18. Only the Gamecocks and Tennessee have pulled off a three-peat in the SEC.

Rori Harmon, Taylor Jones and Madison Booker combined for 38 points, but the rest of Vic Schaefer's team combined for just two field goals through all four quarters, and no other Texas player scored more than two points. Meanwhile, Chloe Kitts had another solid game for the Gamecocks as she led them with 15 points on 7 of 18 from the field. She almost completed a double-double with nine rebounds.

"Our team has been through a lot. We welcome anything that comes with the process of our journey," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said after the game. "Losing games isn't familiar for us, but if we utilize them to get to moments like today -- it's well worth the loss."

[Mar 9, 2025 at 4:49 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q3: South Carolina 52, Texas 33

After having the lowest scoring first half in the SEC tournament championship game history, the Longhorns continue to struggle against the South Carolina defense. Vic Schaefer's team was able to get 17 points in the third quarter with 10 of those coming from Taylor Jones. However, most of Texas' scoring came from the charity line. The Longhorns got just three field goals in the third quarter, while turning the ball over four times. 

Meanwhile, Sania Feagin had a productive 10 minutes for the Gamecocks with seven points on 3 of 3 from the field. 

[Mar 9, 2025 at 4:08 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: South Carolina 33, Texas 16

Dawn Staley's defense held the Longhorns scoreless in the second quarter for the first six and a half minutes. Texas is only 8 of 27 from the field so far while having 11 turnovers and just three assists. South Carolina has focused on making this difficult for Texas' leading scorer Madison Booker, who is just 1 of 6 with two points. 

South Carolina is shooting 41.9% from the floor with seven players scoring at least two points so far. Chloe Kitts is leading all scorers with nine points.

The last team to be held to under 20 points in the first half of the SEC championship game was Mississippi State while playing South Carolina in 2018 when the Gamecocks had a 30-19 lead.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 3:35 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q1: South Carolina 12, Texas 10

Neither team is shooting the ball particularly well as they are both well under 35% from the field. Texas star Madison Booker is scoreless in the first quarter for the sixth time this season after going 0 of 4 from the field. However, the biggest issue for the Longhorns early in the SEC title game has been taking care of the ball. Texas had five turnovers in the first 10 minutes.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 3:06 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

ACC final: No. 3 Duke 76, No. 1 NC State 62

The Blue Devils have earned their first ACC Tournament title since 2013 and eighth overall after a dominant second half against the Wolfpack. Duke sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa came off the bench and tied her career high with 22 points and 10 rebounds -- her fifth career double-double. In addition, her defense was key to disrupting NC State star Aziaha James. Junior guard Ashley Jackson also gave Duke 22 points. 

Duke held NC State well below its season average of around 80 points per game, and also crushed the rebounding battle 44-28.

"What a championship response by us in that second half after starting a little rattled," Duke coach Kara Larson said in the broadcast.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 2:35 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q3: No. 3 Duke 53, No. 1 NC State 46

The Blue Devils were off to a shaky start, but the momentum of the game has shifted as they outscored Duke 24-10 in the third quarter. Jackson and Okananwa combined for 14 points in the last 10 minutes.

Larson's team found its first lead of the game with 4:14 remaining after a layup by Taina Mair. NC State hung around but the Blue Devils started pulling away late in the period. NC State went just 3 of 15 from the field in the third quarter, with only James and Rivers getting buckets for the Wolfpack.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 2:14 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Aziaha James returns in the second half

Despite a scary moment in the second quarter and not warming up before the second half, James is back on the court. She received a standing ovation from the fans at First Horizon Coliseum when she got back out there.

James also had an injury scare on Saturday in the semifinals after colliding with North Carolina forward Maria Gakdeng. This week she was also sick with the flu. 

[Mar 9, 2025 at 2:05 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: No. 1 NC State 36, No. 3 Duke 29

NC State has controlled most of the entire game so far, but the mood in the locker room at the break won't be too high as Aziaha James left late in the second quarter with an apparent injury. She left with 11 points, while teammate Zoe Brooks leads all scorers with 13 points. 

Duke is led by Ashton Jackson and Oluchi Okananwa with 10 points each. The Blue Devils picked up some momentum to enter the break with a 3-pointer by Jordan Wood with seven seconds remaining. That bucket helped Duke outscore NC State 19-17 in the second quarter. 

NC State's Saniya Rivers said in the broadcast that Duke was able to speed up her team more in the second quarter "but in the second half we just need to get back to playing our game." Regarding James, Rivers said that if she is not able to return, the team will try to get the job done for her.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 1:54 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Aziaha James exits game

NC State's leading scorer took a hard fall late in the second quarter and was helped to the locker room. As she tried walking out, it seemed she was trying to avoid putting pressure on her right leg. Once she was got to the tunnel, James was immediately given a wheelchair. James had 11 points at the time she left the game.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 1:28 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q1: No. 1 NC State 19, No. 3 Duke 10

After falling behind 0-7, the Blue Devils responded by scoring five straight points. However, Duke only has four made field goals and also four turnovers after the first 10 minutes. NC State has capitalized on those mistakes with 10 points off turnovers. 

The NC State starters have been getting the job done with four of them scoring at least three points. Saniya Rivers leads all scorers with seven points, and  Zoe Brooks follows with six points going a perfect 3 of 3 from the field. 

Duke coach Kara Larson said on the broadcast that her team hasn't been sharp enough on defense. However, offensively she did like the looks the Blue Devils are getting, it's just a matter of the ball going in.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 1:18 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Strong start for NC State

The Wolfpack opened the ACC title game with a 7-0 run with points from James, Rivers and Brooks. Duke went 0-2 from the field and had two turnovers two minutes into the game.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 1:07 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Duke is a young team, but it also has multiple players who a score any given night. There are six Blue Devils averaging over seven points per game. They are led by forward Toby Fournier and guard Ashlon Jackson with 13.7 and 12.1 points, respectively.

The Blue Devils made it to the Sweet 16 in 2024, and the addition of Fournier has been a good one. She is an All-ACC First Team selection and was also named the conference's Rookie of the Year. She registered a career-high 28 points on March 2 in a 71-57 win over a ranked Florida State team.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 12:48 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

NC State entered this season with high expectations as the Wolfpack reached the Final Four in 2024 and returned most key players from that run.

The Wolfpack have four players averaging double figures, led by Aziaha James with 17.9 points per game. It has been quite a week for the senior guard as she dealt with the flu and had an injury scare in the semifinals against North Carolina. However, she has not missed a beat and put up 19 points with 9 rebounds against the Tar Heels.

The team has three All-ACC First Team selections in James, Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks -- who was also named the Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Wes Moore earned the conference Coach of the Year recognition for the fourth time in his career.

[Mar 9, 2025 at 12:25 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Both teams arrived to the ACC tournament with a double bye because of their seeding, which means they have only played two games each.

Duke's path to the title game:

• Quarterfinals: 61-48 win over No. 6 seed Louisville
  
• Semifinals: 61-56 win over No. 2 seed Notre Dame
  

NC State's path to the title game:

• Quarterfinals: 73-72 win over No. 9 seed Georgia Tech
  
• Semifinals: 66-55 win over No. 5 seed North Carolina
  

[Mar 9, 2025 at 12:21 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

The first major conference title game of the day will be between No. 3 seed Duke and No. 1 seed NC State in the ACC, starting at 1 p.m. ET in Greensboro, N.C.

The Wolfpack lead their series 51-40 since 1975, and have also won the two most recent encounters. Their last meeting was on Feb. 3 in Raleigh, which NC State won 89-83 behind a career-high 36 points from Aziaha James.

NC State has reached the ACC title game for the fifth time in the last six years, while Duke is playing in the championship for the first time since 2017 after upsetting Notre Dame on Saturday. The Blue Devils have not lifted the conference trophy since 2013, while the Wolfpack won it in 2022.