The Pac-12 Conference had five teams remaining in March Madness as they began the Sweet on Friday. The men’s teams are all out after Arizona’s stunning loss to Clemson brought Tommy Lloyd into the forefront.
On Friday, two women’s teams played. The first game of the day was 3-seed Oregon State against 2-seed Notre Dame. The game was full of debate as Irish star Hannah Hidalgo had to miss time during the game to have her nose ring removed.
Yet, the Beavers walked away with a tough, hard-fought 70-65 win to advance to the Elite Eight and make Scott Rueck’s season that much more impressive. Timea Gardiner had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Oregon State as Raegan Beers added an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double of her own.
The other game of the day was Stanford losing to NC State as the Wolfpack had both teams advance to the Elite Eight. The men’s team defeated Marquette.
Stanford lost 77-67 despite Kiki Iriafen dropping 26 points and 10 rebounds and Cameron Brink adding 13 points with nine rebounds and seven blocks.
Oregon State now faces South Carolina on Sunday to earn a trip to the Final Four.