NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2017: Sunday Scores and Updated Bracket

Second-round play at the 2017 NCAA women's basketball tournament got underway Sunday with eight games, including a pair of showdowns featuring top-seeded contenders.  

Specifically, the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish were in action as they sought to stave off potential upset bids by pesky challengers in the Arizona State Sun Devils and Purdue Boilermakers. 

But before those two title hopefuls could tip off, the Kentucky Wildcats and Ohio State Buckeyes got things started with a compelling Big Ten-SEC showdown. 

Below, you'll find scores and a recap of each second-round contest. An updated bracket for this year's tournament can be viewed at NCAA.com. 

Sunday's Results

Region	Matchup	Result/Time (ET)
Lexington	No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Kentucky	OSU 82, UK 68
Bridgeport	No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Maryland	UMD 83, WVU 56
Oklahoma City	No. 7 DePaul vs. No. 2 Mississippi State	MSST 92, DEP 71
Lexington	No. 6 NC State vs. No. 3 Texas	UT 84, NCST 80
Stockton	No. 8 Arizona State vs. No. 1 South Carolina	SC 71, AZ ST 68
Stockton	No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 3 Florida State	FSU 77, MIZ 55
Lexington	No. 9 Purdue vs. No. 1 Notre Dame	ND 88, PUR 82 (OT)
Stockton	No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 2 Oregon State	ORE ST. 64, CRE 52

Ohio State 82, Kentucky 68

The Buckeyes led by 15 points at halftime but had to piece together a late fourth-quarter surge to stave off a Wildcats team that closed the gap to one with six minutes remaining. 

As has been the case all season, Kelsey Mitchell paved the way for the Buckeyes with 21 points on 8-of-21 shooting, including 3-of-12 from three. 

WNBA star Skylar Diggins was among those impressed with Mitchell's scoring prowess: 

Makayla Epps paced the Wildcats with 21 points and four assists, and she was joined in double figures by Evelyn Akhator—who broke out for 14 points and 23 rebounds. 

ESPN Stats & Info noted Akhator's rebounding tally was historically significant: 

However, the Wildcats were ultimately doomed by 12 turnovers as the Buckeyes imposed their will on defense with seven steals and 10 blocks. 

The Buckeyes will now No. 1 seed Notre Dame in the Sweet 16.

Maryland 83, West Virginia 56

The Maryland Terrapins coasted into the Sweet 16 behind a sensational offensive performance that saw them shoot 52.3 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent from three. 

Brionna Jones was on a mission all game long, and she finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to pace a dynamite Terrapins attack. 

However, the day truly belonged to Destiny Slocum—who scored three of her 21 points on a long-distance heave just before the halftime buzzer, as the tournament's official Twitter account documented: 

The Mountaineers, meanwhile, shot 31.7 percent from the field 3-of-10 from three as their offense failed to get going in hostile territory. 

Next up for the Terps is the winner of the second-round tilt between the 10th-seeded Oregon Ducks and second-seeded Duke Blue Devils. 

Mississippi State 92, DePaul 71

Balance was the name of the game for the Mississippi State Bulldogs Sunday as they blitzed the DePaul Blue Demons by 21 points to cruise into the Sweet 16. 

Six Bulldogs scorers finished in double-figures, including Blair Schaefer. In 26 minutes, Schaefer dropped a team-high 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three. 

Jazzmun Holmes chipped in 14 points for the Bulldogs, while Chinwe Okorie, Breanna Richardson and Victoria Vivians all scored 12 points apiece against a Blue Demons attack that simply couldn't keep pace. 

The winner of a second-round matchup between No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 3 Washington awaits the Bulldogs in the regional semifinal. 

Texas 84, N.C. State 80

The Texas Longhorns overcame 19 turnovers and a spotty defensive showing to avoid an upset at the hands of the N.C. State Wolfpack. 

Although the Longhorns sputtered with 27 points combined over the second and third quarters, they outscored the Wolfpack by nine in the final frame and withstood stellar scoring efforts from Miah Spencer and Dominique Wilson. 

Spencer flourished to the tune of a game-high 31 points (11-of-18 shooting), and Wilson added 27 points to keep the Wolfpack offense flowing. 

However, N.C. State ultimately let the game slip away as the Longhorns repeatedly crashed the glass and mounted a 15-7 edge on the offensive boards to generate second chances and secure a win. 

No. 2 Stanford and No. 7 Kansas State will play Monday for the right to square off against the Longhorns as the action in the Lexington Regional rolls along. 

South Carolina 71, Arizona State 68

Top-seeded South Carolina received a major scare from Arizona State before A'ja Wilson scored a go-ahead basket in the final minute. The Gamecocks then earned three critical defensive stops down the stretch and clinched the 71-68 victory.

Wilson led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Kaela Davis added 20 points.

Despite the loss, Arizona State outrebounded South Carolina 36-29 and shot 45.5 percent from three-point range but couldn't overcome 15 turnovers. Sophie Brunner spearheaded Arizona State's effort with 20 points and nine rebounds.

South Carolina advanced to the Sweet 16 and will play the winner of the showdown between Miami and Quinnipiac.

Florida State 77, Missouri 55

The Florida State Seminoles had just a five-point lead at halftime against the Missouri Tigers but exploded after intermission for a commanding 77-55 victory.

Florida State overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 50 percent from three-point range and holding the Tigers to just 25 percent from deep on the other end. The Seminoles also had four players score at least 14 points, with the starters scoring 71 of the team's 77 points for the game.

Shakayla Thomas notched a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Brittany Brown added 16 points and eight assists.

Sophie Cunningham led the way for Missouri with 17 points.

Florida State will face Oregon State in the Sweet 16.

Notre Dame 88, Purdue 82 (Overtime)

It took overtime, but the No. 1 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish survived a formidable challenge from the Purdue Boilermakers, 88-82.

It wasn't all good news for Notre Dame, as Brianna Turner suffered an injury during the victory.

Marina Mabrey led the offensive attack for the Fighting Irish with 21 points, while Arike Ogunbowale just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Purdue had a chance to win the game on the final possession of regulation but couldn't get a quality look at the hoop. It proved costly, as Notre Dame's elite talent shone in the overtime period. Despite the loss, Ashley Morrissette (23 points and 10 assists) and Bridget Perry (22 points and nine rebounds) impressed for the Boilermakers.

Notre Dame will play Mitchell and the Buckeyes in the Sweet 16.

Oregon State 64, Creighton 52

The Oregon State Beavers set the tone early against the Creighton Bluejays and established a 12-point lead before cruising to a 64-52 win.

Oregon State controlled the glass and outrebounded the Bluejays 45-32 while also holding its opponent to a mere 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent shooting from three-point range.

Sydney Wiese and Gabriella Hanson each scored 13 points for Oregon State, while Marie Gulich added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Sydney Lamberty led Creighton with 19 points.

Next up for the Beavers is a Sweet 16 showdown with Florida State.