Sweet 16 NCAA Women's Tournament Winners, Losers: UConn, Diamond Miller And Cotie McMahon's Mom

© Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images Diamond Miller (left) celebrates with teammates after Maryland defeated Notre Dame to advance to the Elite 8.

Angry!

The final round of the Sweet 16 made a splash as planned, and then Ohio State goes and throws things into chaos. Chaos, I tell you! Even though UConn looked completely different from UConn in the regular season and lost back-to-back games for the first time since 1993, the 11-time national champion looked to rebound late.

That's how they faced the swing that was Ohio State's defense.

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The Buckeyes forced UConn into 25 turnovers (more on that in a moment) and made life difficult for the Huskies, who will miss the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005.

"The problem with buzzers is that the longer they go, the closer they are to the end than the beginning," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Isn't that when? It's only a matter of time."

Here's a look at the other winners and losers from Saturday's games:

the winner

diamond mill

It will be months before Notre Dame considers Diamond Miller and retires him.

Maryland didn't need Miller's last-second 3-pointer to beat the Irish this time, as the senior did enough damage in a 2-minute sprint in the third quarter. In the game, Miller had a three-point assist from Lavender Briggs, converted a three-point play, made a free throw and blocked a layup from Shyanne Sellers.

So the Terps built a nine-point lead and Notre Dame never threatened again.

Miller finished with 18 points in the second half, including 14, five rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists.

"I think we were more aggressive. They slowed us down in the first half. They did a great job with that," Miller said. “The fact that they slowed us down had a big impact on my game and maybe Shy's game. But in the second half when we started running and running down the court, I think that really helped us and got us into a rhythm that we liked."

It was the second time this season that Miller had thwarted Notre Dame's hopes. When the teams met in December, Miller hit a 3-pointer with one second left to lead the Terps to a win over then-No. 7 Notre Dame, then silenced the crowd in South Bend, Indiana.

Brea Beal

Beal's draft stock could rise a few spots.

There's no doubt the South Carolina coach will hear her name called in next month's WNBA Draft. He is one of the best defenders in the game and has been the key to South Carolina's dominance in recent seasons.

But Beal's performance against UCLA is a reminder that he can score, too. And it doesn't take long to be effective.

Beal scored 10 points in the first half as South Carolina opened up an insurmountable 10-point lead over the Bruins. He also had two assists and a steal in the first 20 minutes. He didn't play in the fourth quarter, but still finished with seven rebounds and four assists.

"Brea was our utility player. "He always gives us what we need," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of the offense as they scored the most points against Illinois State, an accomplishment.

"He needed time to relax and see where he could find some really nice spots. Now that he's a senior, he's seeing that," Staley said. "We feel very, very comfortable with him on the pitch and he will be sorely missed."

Mother of Cotie McMahon

Of the roughly 18,000 fans in attendance at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday afternoon, none had more fun than Stacey McMahon-Tweedie, mother of Ohio State superstar Coty McMahon.

As her daughter tore through the UConn defense for 23 points, McMahon-Tweedie told everyone. He shouted and clapped for the entire 40 minutes, often making the crowd around him laugh. Some points:

--As UConn opened up a 10-2 lead and Ohio State called a quick timeout, McMahon-Tweedie stood up and yelled at the UConn bench, "Oh, let's go, Geno!" (The Buckeyes rallied shortly after a 17-0 run.)

- Before the Buckeyes took over, McMahon-Tweedie stood up and yelled, "I'll be the one to show up, I don't think you'll care!"

- When the officials whistled Ohio State for a suspected foul, he led the OSU cheering section to chant, "Don't lie!" instead of yelling at the judges. UConn sings as it misses free throws.

He danced and sang throughout the game with a smile on his face. Even his daughter smiled, because isn't it fun to do one of the greatest shows of all time? Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said afterward that he had never seen anyone play so happy.

It's clear where he got it from.

failure

DAMAGE

The UConn and Notre Dame losses were called "What if?" it was impossible to watch without thinking. What if Paige Bueckers, the national player of the year two years ago, hadn't broken her knee last August? What if Notre Dame hadn't lost Dara Mabrey in January? Or Olivia Miles in the regular season finale?

The games would probably be very different.

The Huskies missed Buckers' scoring — he averaged 20 points per game the last time he was fully healthy — but more than that, they missed his consistent presence. UConn turned the ball over 25 times against Ohio State, and there's no way that's happening when the Buckers run the field.

Notre Dame's Miles was second and Mabrey was fourth. Top goalie Sonia Citron continued to carry the load while newcomer Cassandre Prosper played well, but the Irish were too weak to challenge Maryland on the road.

"I'm very proud, I'm very proud of my team," Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. No one expected us to be here, so we will come back with a better and stronger team."

ball security

Notre Dame and UConn may want to consider additional ball-handling practices in the offseason.

Each team had 25 rounds, 25! - in losses to Maryland and Ohio State, respectively.

"It's been a problem all season," Auriemma said. "A lot of unreliable ball handlers, a lot of unreliable decision makers. My fault I didn't make it easy for them."

As mediocre as their sales have been, the Irish and Huskies can take solace in the fact that they aren't the all-time worst in the NCAA Women's Tournament. Almost. Twenty teams have had 32 or more turnovers in a single tournament, led by Stephen F. Austin's 39 game against Maryland in 1989.

And in the "Awaiting Decision" category:

Come inside

What a crazy Elite Eight for the 21-year-old Maryland coach. The Terps are still playing ... and three former Maryland transfers left after last season: Taylor Mikesell to Ohio State (who went to Oregon after Maryland), Ashley Owusu to Virginia Tech and Angel Reese to LSU.

But Freese not only lost players to the portal, but also won them. Maryland is also loaded with transfers, including Briggs (Florida), Brinae Alexander (Vanderbilt), Abby Meyers (Princeton) and Elisa Pinzan (USF).

Coach clearly wins in recruiting.

Follow Nancy Armor on Twitter @nrarmour and Lindsay Schnell @Lindsay_Schnell

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Women's Sweet 16 Tournament Winners, Losers: UConn, Diamond Miller and Cotie McMahon's mother

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