The 2026 women’s NCAA tournament continues Sunday with the first two games of the Elite Eight. No. 1 overall seed UConn will take on Hannah Hidalgo and No. 6 Notre Dame at 1 p.m. ET, which will be followed by No. 1 UCLA taking on No. 3 Duke at 3 p.m. ET.
Sports Illustrated will have live updates throughout the games with analysis, highlights and more from around the bracket.
Live updates, analysis and highlights from Sunday’s games
Sunday’s women’s Elite Eight matchups
Final: No. 1 UConn 70, No. 6 52
The Fighting Irish kept things close through three quarters, but UConn’s dynamic duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd ultimately proved to be the difference in the fourth quarter. The Huskies are headed to their 25th Final Four.
Meanwhile, what a run for the Fighting Irish. It’s unfortunate that it came to an end in the way it did. Notre Dame was a bit sloppy on offense and never seemed to get into a rhythm on that end of the floor. It was the first time in 19 years that Notre Dame scored fewer than 53 points in an NCAA tournament game.
UConn clearly didn’t have their best fastball, particularly on the offensive end, but its depth and defensive intensity won the day. —Tim Capurso
Final: No. 1 UCLA 70, No. 3 Duke 58
UCLA took a few body blows from Duke and kept on getting back up. The Blue Devils’ length was giving the Bruins fits in the first half en route to an eight-point lead for Duke heading into halftime.
But the Bruins came out of the locker room looking like a different team, as they played a much cleaner game offensively and found better shots. And star center Lauren Betts was a force in the paint, scoring 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.
UCLA showed a ton of resilience in fighting back in this game, an experience that could prove especially valuable in the Final Four.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
- ‘Those Are All Lies’: Ben McCollum Calls Out Rumors He’ll Leave Iowa After Elite Eight Run in First Year
- LeBron James Is the Proudest Father As Son Bryce Is Final Four-Bound With Arizona
- UConn vs. Duke Live Scores: Updates From Men’s March Madness Elite Eight
- Arizona’s Final Four Bid Came Down to One Thing: Figure It Out
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Women’s March Madness: UCLA’s Monster Second Half Has Bruins Back in Final Four.
