NCAA Oklahoma Indiana Basketball

Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes, left, celebrates with teammate Sydney Parrish, center, and Chloe Moore-McNeil in the second half of the Hoosiers’ 75-68 win over Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Monday in Bloomington, Ind. Holmes, of Gorham, scored 29 points. Michael Conroy/Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Approaching the end of her stellar playing career at Indiana, Gorham native Mackenzie Holmes put together an appropriate finish to her final game at Assembly Hall.

In the waning minutes Monday night, Holmes demanded the ball. And the two-time All-American delivered.

She scored 29 points, including six straight during a crucial stretch late in the game, and No. 4 seed Indiana topped fifth-seeded Oklahoma 75-68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Moments after the Hoosiers improved to 17-0 at home this season, Holmes ran into the stands to celebrate with the fans.

“I did that a couple years back when we beat Princeton to get to the Sweet 16,” she said, beaming with a smile. “This is my last game in Assembly Hall, I just really wanted to take it all in, so I asked Coach (Teri Moren) if it was OK, and she gave me the go ahead. So we just went for it.”

Now, instead of bemoaning a surprising exit from March Madness, Holmes and her teammates advanced to a matchup with undefeated South Carolina in Albany, New York.

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Even if Holmes’ college career ends later this week, this send-off seemed like a fitting tribute for a player who overcame multiple knee injuries to help the Hoosiers emerge as a national power.

Sydney Parish added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Hoosiers (26-5), who are in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years, erasing the bitter memories of last year’s second-round exit to Miami.

That loss motivated Indiana all season.

“I didn’t want to end this game with a loss, I couldn’t let it happen again,” Holmes said after career win No. 123. “We all knew how it felt last year and I was going to do everything in my power not to let that happen again.

Notre Dame guard Anna DeWolfe celebrates during the second half of the Fighting Irish’s 71-56 win over Ole Miss in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Monday in South Bend, Indiana. Michael Caterina/Associated Press

NOTRE DAME 71, MISSISSIPPI 56: Maddy Westbeld scored 20 points and Hannah Hidalgo added 19 to help the Fighting Irish (28-6) beat the Rebels (24-9) in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament in South Bend, Indiana.

Sonia Citron added 17 for the Fighting Irish, who advanced to the Sweet 16 where they will play No. 3 seed Oregon State in the Albany Regional.

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Anna DeWolfe of Cumberland had nine points for Notre Dame.

Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott led Ole Miss with 15 points each.

Notre Dame hit Ole Miss with an intense attack from the opening tip, establishing an uptempo tone on offense and a relentless but controlled defense early.

The Fighting Irish bolted to a 21-9 lead after one quarter, harassing Ole Miss into 4-of-17 shooting in the first quarter while connecting on 6-of-12 shots.

Notre Dame expanded its lead to 19 points at 33-14 on a 3 by Westbeld from the top of the key with 5:10 left. The Fighting Irish led by 17 points, 43-26, at halftime. Ole Miss committed 13 turnovers and only hit 38% of its shots (11-of-29).

Notre Dame connected on 59% of its field-goal attempts (16-of-27) and turned the ball over only six times.

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Ole Miss used an 8-2 run to cut the Notre Dame lead to 63-50 with 5:46 left in the game, but DeWolfe’s jumper and a breakaway basket by Hidalgo pushed the Fighting Irish lead to 67-50, with 4:08 remaining that sealed the game.

IOWA 64, WEST VIRGINIA 54: Caitlin Clark scored 32 points and the Hawkeyes (31-4) survived one of their worst offensive performances of the season to beat the Mountaineers (25-8) in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Hawkeyes advanced to play No. 5 seed Colorado in Saturday’s Albany 2 Regional semifinal.

Sydney Affolter’s three-point play with 2:03 to play, the Hawkeyes’ lone field goal of the fourth quarter, gave Iowa a 55-52 lead. Clark and Hannah Stuelke closed the game with nine free throws to clinch the win.

As time ran out on the final home game of her career, Clark, who became the NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader this season, circled the court, making a heart-shaped symbol with her hands as the sellout crowd cheered.

UCONN 72, SYRACUSE 64: Paige Bueckers tied her season high with 32 points, freshman Ashlynn Shade added 19 and the Huskies (31-5) held off the Orange (24-8) in Storr, Connecticut, to earn a 30th straight trip to the Sweet 16.

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It was Bueckers’ fifth straight game with at least 25 points, and seventh in her last eight games.

Dyaisha Fair scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half as Syracuse came back from a 12-point first half deficit to pull within two with just under two minutes left. But the Orange missed four 3-point attempts down the stretch and UConn scored seven of the game’s final eight points.

Sophie Burrows scored a career-high 18 points and Georgia Wooley had 13 of her 18 in the first half for the Orange.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE 78, TENNESSEE 72: Aziaha James scored 22 points and the Wolfpack (29-6) blew nearly all of a 20-point lead before holding off the Lady Vols (20-13) in the  second round of the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Saniya Rivers added 20 points for the Wolfpack, who dominated the second quarter to build that huge margin before the Lady Vols started creeping their way back.

Tennessee got as close as two points in the fourth, but N.C. State did just enough to protect its lead. That sent the Wolfpack on to a date with No. 2 seed Stanford in the Portland 4 Region.

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