Best moments from the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament

The Sweet 16 for the 2018 women’s NCAA Tournament is set after an exciting opening weekend featuring big-time upsets and clutch three-pointers late in games.

All the one and two seeds advanced. The three seeds, however, have not been as fortunate. UCLA is the only three seed left standing. Oregon State knocked off Tennessee on the road on Sunday. Then Buffalo and Central Michigan, both 11 seeds, came away victorious on Monday.

In the Albany Region, Buffalo knocked off Florida State. Central Michigan crushed Ohio State’s dreams of making it to the Final Four, which is being played in Columbus this season.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the best moments from the weekend:

Chennedy Carter caps a Texas A&M comeback with game-winner

Texas A&M trailed by 15 at halftime to No. 5 seed DePaul. Freshman sensation Chennedy Carter shot just 2-9 in the first half. The Aggies would rally in the second. Trailing by 13 early in the fourth, A&M went on a 7-0 run to cut a big chunk out of the deficit. An Anriel Howard three point play with 4:23 to go trimmed DePaul’s lead to four.

Ashton Millender knocked down a three to put DePaul back up by six. Carter scored five unanswered, Mart’e Grays drove and scored inside 1:00, then Carter went 1-2 at the line with 43 seconds on the clock.

Down by two, the Aggies elected to try to get a stop. They succeeded, setting the stage for Carter:

Carter knocked down the biggest shot of the tournament thus far. Credit Jasmine Lumpkin, too, who stole the inbounds pass on DePaul’s final possession.

Carter’s second half line: 32 points, 11-21 shooting, 7-8 on three-pointers. Carter and the Aggies will take on No. 1 seed Notre Dame in Spokane on Saturday.

Madison Guebert forces OT

Fans were treated to a great game by South Dakota State and Villanova in the opening round. Down three with about five seconds to play, the Jackrabbits needed a hero. Enter Madison Guebert:

This was the only overtime game of the weekend in the women’s tournament. Villanova pulled away in the extra frame. There will be more on that shortly.

A’ja Wilson puts the pedal to the floor in the 4th, twice

At most, A’ja Wilson had two remaining chances to play on her home floor entering the weekend. North Carolina A&T and Virginia kept things close. Wilson came through in the clutch in both fourth quarters for the defending national champs. She pushed South Carolina’s lead back to double digits with a tough finish inside against A&T:

Wilson scored eight of her 25 points against Virginia in the fourth quarter, including this steal and score on a Virginia under out:

Wilson also had two blocks to go with that steal in Sunday’s fourth quarter.

Adrianna Hahn flashes her unlimited range with an OT dagger

Adrianna Hahn made six three-pointers in round one against South Dakota State. She saved her best for last, however, pulling up from way beyond the arc to seal the win for her team in overtime:

Dominant 2Q propels Central Michigan to big win over OSU

The Chippewas actually fell in a hole early on against the Buckeyes, which isn’t reflected in the final score or the updates you may have received in the second half. Everything clicked for Central Michigan in the second quarter. They outscored Ohio State 25-6 in the period.

Cassie Breen knocked down back-to-back triples late in the second. The latter of the two gave the Chippewas a 10 point lead after Presley Hudson made a great read in the pick and roll to find her:

Hudson hit a three on the team’s next possession after a Ohio State turnover. Central Michigan kept rolling in the second half and took a 21 point lead into the fourth quarter before closing it out.

Natisha Hiedeman drills eight threes in win over Dayton

We’ll let the tape do the heavy lifting here. Natisha Hiedeman was on fire in Marquette’s first round win over Dayton:

Sabrina Ionescu notches 10th triple-double, Oregon takes care of business

Sabrina Ionescu recorded her 10th career triple-double on Friday. She was even better Sunday against Minnesota, shooting 10-14 from the field on her way to 29 points. This stepback three at the end of the half pushed the Ducks’ lead to 15:

Buffalo stuns Florida State

We’ll dive more into the stunning upsets pulled off by the two 11 seeds out of the MAC later in the week. The short version? They said it best on the broadcast. It’s just been that kind of tournament for the Bulls:

Virginia holds off Cal

How close did Cal come to winning its first round game without stellar post player Kristine Anigwe? This close:

That’s Cal’s Mikayla Cowling coming within a fingernail of tipping away that pass to Felicia Aiyeotan. Aiyeotan caught that one and finished the easy two, putting Virginia up by three with 38 seconds left.

Go back two possessions, though, for Virginia’s biggest play of that game. Cal had battled back to tie it at 57. Late in the clock, the ball found Dominique Toussaint on the left wing:

Of course, Cal fans are likely asking themselves, “what if?” after seeing Virginia keep it close against South Carolina on Sunday. The Golden Bears have nothing to hang their heads over, nearly advancing to round two without their best player available.

Oregon State shuts down the Lady Vols at home

The Beavers didn’t quite look right early on in Tennessee’s building on Sunday. Led by Marie Gulich, OSU stabilized after falling in an early hole. Scott Rueck’s team looked true to form when it mattered most in the fourth quarter. Two offensive rebounds extended an OSU possession to set up a Mikayla Pivec triple:

That shot gave Oregon State an eight point lead. Their defense did the work from there, holding the Lady Vols to three points in the first 6:59 of the fourth.

Related Story: More NCAA Tournament Coverage

We’ve seen upsets, 30-plus point performances, sweet outside shooting, and even a game-winner. A week from today, we’ll be preparing for the Final Four in Columbus. Which moments stood out most to you from the opening weekend, and whose chances do you like most to make it to Columbus?