When No. 9 seed Miami defeated No. 1 Indiana on Monday, No. 4 Villanova suddenly became slight favorites in the Sweet 16. But when the ball tipped Friday afternoon, it was clear that Miami came to play.
The Hurricanes stunned the Wildcats early, taking a 13-point halftime lead that provided a cushion for the late push from Villanova. The Wildcats regained the lead in the fourth quarter, but Miami made just enough winning plays to escape with a 70-65 victory and end Villanova’s historic run.
The Wildcats were led by senior forward Maddy Siegrist, who finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and five steals. Siegrist extended her NCAA-record 20-point streak to 36 games and moved into second place all time for single-season scoring with 1,081 points.
