NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2018: Elite 8 Scores, Final Four Bracket

With the final two spots in the Final Four on the line, there was no shortage of drama Monday at the 2018 NCAA women's basketball tournament.

A matchup between defending champion South Carolina and undefeated Connecticut was enough to get everyone's attention, while high-scoring teams Oregon and Notre Dame also created plenty of buzz heading into the Elite Eight.

No. 1 seeds Mississippi State and Louisville had already earned a spot in the Final Four, but the other top seeds were far from guaranteed a spot in this single-elimination tournament.

Here is the latest from the NCAA women's tournament.

Final Four Schedule

March 30: No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 1 Louisville

March 30: No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 1 Notre Dame

Full bracket available at NCAA.com.

Connecticut 94, South Carolina 65

No. 2 South Carolina was hoping to win a second straight title, but the Gamecocks won't even reach the Final Four after failing to keep up with top-seeded Connecticut.

UConn noted only remained undefeated at 36-0, but the team has reached impressive heights with its 11th straight Final Four, as ESPN Stats & Info and ESPN Women's Hoops detailed:

Katie Lou Samuelson had been the Huskies' best player throughout the season, although she was just the third-leading scorer for the squad in this one with a relatively quiet 17 points and seven assists.

Crystal Dangerfield was instead the star in the first half, shooting 5-of-5 from three-point range as part of her 19 points before halftime. NCAA Women's BKB highlighted her fifth three-pointer:

This was part of a red-hot start for the entire Connecticut roster, going up 30-12 at the end of the first quarter and 54-33 at halftime. The No. 1 seed shot 9-of-10 from three-point range before intermission.

Gabby Williams took over in the second half and finished with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists on 11-of-16 from the field. The team simply couldn't be stopped offensively and scored 94 points after being held to 72 and 71 points in the last two games.

Meanwhile, the game represented the last career appearance for A'ja Wilson. The South Carolina All-American was the only one who could get going for the underdogs, scoring a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds.

Unfortunately, only one other player even reached double figures for the Gamecocks.

Although this is a disappointing end for one of the biggest superstars in the sport, Wilson should be headed to the WNBA before too long.

Of course, UConn now appears nearly unstoppable after embarrassing a very good team in South Carolina. After losing in the national semifinals last year, you can also be certain head coach Geno Auriemma will have his team focused this time around.

Notre Dame 84, Oregon 74

Both Notre Dame and Oregon were averaging more than 90 points scored per game in the tournament coming in, which means Monday's contest qualified as a defensive battle between the two squads.

The shooting wasn't what we have come to expect from either side, but the Fighting Irish scratched and clawed their way to a 10-point win in the Elite Eight, clinching a Final Four with all four No. 1 seeds.

Kathryn Westbeld scored 20 points to lead the team, which only received four bench points all game. Still, the starters did more than enough to earn a hard-fought come-from-behind victory.

Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu stole the show in the first half, giving her team a 46-40 lead while being responsible for more than half of her team's points:

Notre Dame picked up its defense in the second half, with Ionescu finishing with just 26 points. The defensive effort in the third quarter was as good as we have seen in the tournament, with the Irish outscoring the Ducks 21-9.

Marina Mabrey helped out on the offensive end, knocking down two three-pointers, including this deep one:

The guard had a strong all-around performance in the win, finishing with 15 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Notre Dame used its big third quarter to take control of the action as the time on the clock dwindled, and Oregon simply didn't have enough offense in it to catch up on the scoreboard. The No. 2 seed finished 4-of-15 from three-point range, ruining any chance of a comeback.

The Irish will try to keep up the momentum in the Final Four, but it could be difficult against red-hot UConn. Although the Huskies lost in the semifinals last season, it won't be easy to replicate the feat in 2018.