A night of statement wins and shaken rankings rippled across women’s college basketball as contenders clashed and streaks snapped. Three top-10 teams fell as others continue to rise, check out all the action from Thursday night hoops.
Rori Harmon leads No. 4 Texas over No. 5 LSU
No. 4 Texas continued to prove itself at the top of women’s college basketball with a 77–64 win over No. 5 LSU, evening the season series after the Tigers took the first meeting 70–65 in Baton Rouge last month.
The Longhorns’ latest statement win was powered by guard Rori Harmon, who etched her name again into the program record book. Harmon broke Texas’ all-time steals record with just over a minute left in the third quarter, diving to the floor in a signature heart-and-hustle play that ignited the Moody Center crowd. Earlier this season, the redshirt senior had already become the program’s all-time assists leader.
Texas entered the fourth quarter holding a four-point advantage and pulled away by turning defense into offense, forcing LSU into 19 total turnovers and holding the nation’s highest-scoring offense to just 64 points. The Tigers came in averaging 98.8 points per game, a pace that would threaten Providence's single-season record of 96.7 point per game from 1991.
Harmon finished with 11 points, six steals and five assists, setting the tone on both ends.
With the victory, Texas has now beaten three members of the current AP top 5 — No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 5 LSU — with both the South Carolina and LSU season series tied 1–1. As more teams begin to separate themselves going deeper into conference play, the Longhorns once again looked every bit like a national title contender.
347+ career steals👑
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)
No. 17 Duke continues its winning streak over No. 6 Louisville
No. 17 Duke beat No. 6 Louisville 59-58, surviving a late rally to earn a statement top-10 win to snap the Cardinals’ 14-game winning streak.
The Blue Devils entered the matchup riding a 13-game winning streak and set the tone early, opening on a 16-1 run and holding Louisville without a field goal for more than five minutes. Toby Fournier and Taina Mair anchored Duke on both ends as the Blue Devils built a 23-11 first-quarter lead and carried a 37-27 advantage into halftime.
The Cardinals chipped away in the third quarter, tightening up defensively and leaning on Laura Ziegler and Reyna Scott to cut the deficit to 46-43 entering the fourth. Louisville briefly surged ahead midway through the final period, taking a 49-46 lead on a three-point-jumper from Ziegler.
Duke responded, reclaiming control behind free throws from Ashlon Jackson and Delaney Thomas before a 3-pointer by Jackson to push the Blue Devils ahead 57-50 with under four minutes remaining.
Give it to ‘em, Ash! 😮💨
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB)
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Louisville fell just short of the comeback, despite a five-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter, making one final push in the closing seconds. Imari Berry split a pair of free throws with one second left, but Duke secured the rebound on the ensuing miss to seal the win.
The victory extended Duke’s streak to 14 straight wins — its 19th consecutive victory over an ACC opponent.
Fournier and the Blue Devils off to a STRONG start 💪
— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb)
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Minnesota gets big top-10 win over Iowa
Minnesota stunned No. 10 Iowa 91-85, handing the Hawkeyes their third straight loss and a costly setback in the Big Ten race.
Iowa started fast behind Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke, building an early lead and taking a 25-24 edge after the first quarter. Minnesota responded after the break, tightening up defensively and controlling the glass to surge ahead 49-39 at halftime. Mara Braun and Grace Grocholski went on individual runs, ending the game with 16 and 21 points, respectively.
MARA NAILS ANOTHER 3⃣ x 🎥 BTN /
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB)
The Gophers maintained control in the third quarter, stretching the margin to as many as 19 points behind Amaya Battle and Sophie Hart, who capitalized on second-chance opportunities and transition chances.
Iowa made a late push in the fourth behind Chazadi Wright and Ava Heiden each scoring more than 20 points tonight, but Minnesota answered each rally and sank its free throws to seal the upset.
The loss drops Iowa further behind UCLA and Michigan in the Big Ten title chase.
