North Carolina's Nyla Harris celebrates after she scores during Sunday's second round NCAA Tourney game at Chapel Hill. (AP photo)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Elina Aarnisalo had 21 points, Lanie Grant scored 20 and North Carolina used a strong fourth quarter to beat Maryland 74-66 on Sunday and reach the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

Nyla Harris had 14 points and eight rebounds and Indya Nivar added 11 points to help the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (28-7) advance in the Fort Worth 1 Regional later in the week. They will play the winner of No. 1 UConn vs. No. 9 Syracuse.

“We just had to stay aggressive,” North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart, an Amherst native and NHIAA Hall of Famer, said. “But you don’t go this long into the season and not trust your (players). These are close games. We know they’re going to be. We’re prepared for it. I trust them.”

Oluchi Okananwa, who helped eliminate North Carolina last March in the Sweet 16 when she played for Duke, scored 21 points for No. 5 seed Maryland (24-9). Addi Mack had 13 points and Mir McLean had 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Terrapins couldn’t overcome 3-for-23 shooting on 3-pointers.

“I felt like it was there for the taking for us,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “We didn’t manage enough plays to take it.”

After briefly falling behind, the Tar Heels used a 13-4 run, sparked by six points from Nivar, early in the fourth quarter for a 63-56 lead.

“They gave us a good run, and we kind of just did a good job of absorbing that and not panicking, not trying to do too much, not getting away from the game plan,” Grant said.

Maryland pulled within three in the final two minutes, but freshman Nyla Brooks drained a 3-pointer from in front of the North Carolina bench.

“Nyla Brooks has been shooting those 3s all season,” Aarnisalo said. “She’s not afraid to take any shots.”

The Terrapins failed to convert as part of 30.6% shooting in the second half.

“We had a lot of uncharacteristic missed shots in this game,” Frese said.

North Carolina took a 42-33 halftime lead, shooting 56.7% in the half.

Nivar picked up her fourth foul with 7:06 left in the third quarter. Maryland was even at 50-50 by the final minute of the quarter.

North Carolina has reached the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015.

TEXAS 100, OREGON 58

Madison Booker scored a career-high 40 points in a dazzling display of shot making and No. 1 Texas rolled past No. 8 Oregon, sending the Longhorns back to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.

The Longhorns’ three-time All-American was dominant from the opening tip as she created shots from all over the floor. She scored 19 in the first half, and her 3-point play early in the third quarter, when she muscled through and over three defenders for a layup, sparked a 19-4 run that turned the game into a rout.

Booker’s previous high was 31, set just a few weeks ago against Mississippi in the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Texas (33-3) ran its home win streak to 44. A No. 1 seed for the third year in a row, the Longhorns now head to Fort Worth in a bid to return to the Final Four for the second consecutive season. They will play the winner of Monday’s matchup between No. 4 West Virginia (28-6) and No. 5 Kentucky (24-10).

MICHIGAN 92, N.C.State 63

Olivia Olson had all 27 of her points in the second half and Syla Swords bounced back from a slow start to score 26 and help second-seeded Michigan rout short-handed N.C. State 92-63 on Sunday and earn a spot in the women’s Sweet 16.

The Wolverines (27-6) will play the winner of third-seeded Louisville and sixth-seeded Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Fort Worth Regional semifinals.

Michigan previously reached the Sweet 16 in 2021 and 2022.

The seventh-seeded Wolfpack (21-11) were without All-ACC guard Zoe Brooks, who had a protective boot on her right foot after being injured in Friday night’s win against 10th-seeded Tennessee.

That hurt against Michigan’s swarming and trapping defense that forced 22 turnovers, including 10 in the third quarter that helped the Wolverines take a 16-point lead into the fourth after a closely contested first half.

DUKE 69, BAYLOR 46

Delaney Thomas had 17 points and Toby Fournier scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half, helping No. 3 Duke beat No. 6 Baylor.

Arianna Roberson had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Ashlon Jackson added 12 points for Duke (26-8), which never trailed.

The Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season and 20th time overall. They will play No. 2 LSU, a 101-47 winner over No. 7 Texas Tech, in the Sacramento 2 Regional.

Baylor (25-9) was held to its worst offensive output of the season. The Bears managed just eight points in each of the first two quarters and finished 0-of-14 from beyond the arc, failing to make a 3-pointer for the first time this year. They shot 30.2% overall.

MINNESOTA 65, MISSISSIPPI 63

Minnesota made sure the opening weekend of women’s March Madness was blocked off at its home court months before the NCAA Tournament began.

The hunch was right, as the Gophers relished the roar of their fans at The Barn all the way through Amaya Battle’s epic game-winner.

Battle hit a tiebreaking jump shot with 0.7 seconds left, lifting Minnesota past Mississippi 65-63 in the second round on Sunday to send the Gophers to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years. They will face the winner of the game on Monday between No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State.

Battle, who finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, took the inbound pass near the paint and dribbled out along the baseline for more space before turning to swish the winner. The senior guard landed on her back to look up at a swarm of teammates in a frenzied celebration by the No. 4 seed Gophers (24-8).

OKLAHOMA 77, MICHIGAN STATE 71

Raegan Beers had 18 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 4 seed Oklahoma beat fifth-seeded Michigan State to advance to the Sweet 16.

Aaliyah Chavez added 18 points and six assists for the Sooners (27-7), who advanced to play in the Sweet 16 of March Madness for the second straight year. They’ll play the winner of Monday’s matchup between No. 1 seed South Carolina and No. 9 seed Southern California. Oklahoma defeated South Carolina in overtime during the regular season.

Rashunda Jones scored 20 points, Kennedy Blair had 14 points and nine rebounds and Grace VanSlooten added 13 points and seven rebounds for Michigan State (23-9). The Spartans were trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009.

Michigan State led 42-37 at halftime behind 47.1% shooting. The Spartans held Oklahoma to 38.9% shooting and forced the Sooners into 14 turnovers.

Early in the second half, with Michigan State leading 42-39, Michigan State’s Jalyn Brown was called for a flagrant foul. Chavez made both free throws. Moments later, Beers scored in close, then made a mid-range jumper to put the Sooners up 45-42 and force a Michigan State timeout. The Sooners took a 57-54 lead into the fourth quarter.