GREENVILLE, S.C. — The round-of-16 game was slipping away from Miami, as Villanova closed a 21-point gap.
But the ninth-seeded Hurricanes stopped the reversal in the final minute, scoring 6 straight points to beat fourth-seeded Villanova on Friday, 70-65, to advance to its first round-of-8 game in the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament.
“I can’t believe it,” Miami Coach Katie Meier said. “I’m not going to act cool. This is awesome.”
Villanova had cruised to the round of 16, beating its lower-seeded opponents by an average of 18 points. The Wildcats seemed to be building for a run behind their star, Maddy Siegrist, the top scorer in Division I.