Chuck Burton/Associated Press The Final Four for the 2019 NCAA women's basketball tournament is set with the conclusion of the Elite Eight on Monday. The UConn Huskies and Oregon Ducks are already through to the national semifinals, two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum historically speaking. UConn is through to the Final Four for the 12th consecutive year, while Oregon is making its first trip. In Monday's first game, the second-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes were matched up with the No. 1 overall seed Baylor Lady Bears. The reigning national champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 2 Stanford Cardinal would close the curtain on the regional finals. Here are the scores from Monday and a recap of the action. 2019 NCAA Women's Tournament Schedule/Results (Elite Eight) Video Play Button Videos you might like No. 1 Baylor def. No. 2 Iowa, 85-53 No. 1 Notre Dame def. No. 2 Stanford, 84-68 Bracket The full bracket for the 2019 women's NCAA tournament can be viewed at NCAA.com. No. 1 Baylor 85, No. 2 Iowa 53 Megan Gustafson has been excellent throughout the 2018-19 regular season and into the NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes star needed to be superhuman for her team to have any shot of upsetting Baylor. The Lady Bears rolled over the Hawkeyes 85-53, with Baylor's depth and defense simply overwhelming Iowa. Gustafson had 23 points and nine rebounds and hit a significant benchmark in the second half. She reached 1,000 points for the season, joining Kelsey Plum, Odyssey Sims and Jackie Stiles as the only players to reach that mark. Gustafson was the outlier for Iowa. The Lady Bears were content to let the senior forward enjoy success inside while stifling her supporting cast. The Hawkeyes shot 32.1 percent from the field and committed 16 turnovers. The Iowa defense didn't have much of an answer for Baylor's efficient post-centric offense, either. Lauren Cox had a team-high 22 points, adding 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks to a great all-around night. DiDi Richards (16 points, 10 rebounds) had a double-double as well. Together, Cox and Richards nearly out-rebounded Iowa on their own, with the Hawkeyes collecting 26 boards. Baylor has won its four tournament games by an average of 38.3 points. The Lady Bears are firing on all cylinders, which is bad news for Oregon. No. 1 Notre Dame 84, No. 2 Stanford 68 Winning ugly was Stanford's approach in the last two rounds, and the strategy was working for the Cardinal through the first half Monday. They led Notre Dame 33-26 heading into the locker room, with the Fighting Irish well below the 89.2-point-per-game pace they've set this season. The plan unraveled in the third quarter. Notre Dame closed the quarter on an 11-2 run and outscored Stanford 26-13 over the 10-minute period. The Fighting Irish continued to pour it on in the fourth, scoring 32 points and putting the game out of reach. Jackie Young was a big reason for Notre Dame's second-half turnaround. Nineteen of her 25 points came after halftime. Young also grabbed 10 rebounds to earn her 11th double-double of the season. Jessica Shepard also had her third double-double (11 points, 14 rebounds) of the tournament. Arike Ogunbowale, last year's Final Four hero, didn't have an efficient night, shooting 6-of-19 from the floor. She still finished with 21 points and helped to provide an offensive spark in the third and fourth quarters. The stage is now set for a rematch between Notre Dame and Connecticut. The two teams delivered an instant classic in last year's semifinals, and this year will likely be no different.<doc-sep>PORTLAND -- With the clock ticking with under 1:20 remaining and the Oregon Ducks clinging to a three-point lead over the Mississippi State Bulldogs with a spot in the Women's Final Four on the line, there was only one option for who should have the ball: Pac-12 player of the year and espnW first-team All-American Sabrina Ionescu. Coming off a Ruthy Hebard screen, Ionescu first darted toward the basket, then stepped back to create space and fire over Mississippi State guard Jordan Danberry. The ultra-confident Ionescu wasn't surprised when her shot nestled through the net to push Oregon's lead to six and all but assure the Ducks' eventual 88-84 victory in the Portland Regional final. "That was going in regardless," Ionescu said after the game. "No other way to say it. I wanted to finish this game off the right way. We've come so far. We played so hard that entire game. I knew it was my time to hit a big-time shot. Ruthy set a great screen, the spacing was great. Women's Tournament Challenge Check out Tournament Challenge for live updates with a chance to win $5,000 in Amazon.com gift cards! "At that moment in time, I didn't want it to go to overtime. I didn't want to give them any more opportunities to score. I was also pretty tired. Let me hit this and walk off to the Final Four." That's just what Ionescu did, her key shot helping send Oregon to Tampa for the first Women's Final Four appearance in program history after the Ducks lost in the Elite Eight in each of Ionescu's first two seasons. Although he recognized the significance of getting that far once again, Oregon coach Kelly Graves had bigger goals in mind. "We want to break through that ceiling," Graves said Saturday. "We don't want to be just an Elite Eight program, we want to be a Final Four and perhaps a national championship program." Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu celebrates a Portland Regional final victory over No. 1 seed Mississippi State after scoring a game-high 31 points. AP Photo/Steve Dipaola The Ducks were backed in that effort Sunday by a crowd of more than 11,500 at the Moda Center, the vast majority of them wearing Oregon green and yellow. Between the setting and the efficient offense on both sides -- the Ducks made 13 of 26 3-pointers, Mississippi State went 8-of-13 and the teams combined for just 14 turnovers -- Graves called Sunday the best-played game he ever coached. "It kind of reminded me of that Virginia game last night against Purdue," he said, referring to Saturday's South regional final in the men's NCAA tournament. "Two really good teams. They were making shots. It was like a heavyweight fight. We just kept getting back up off the canvas and battling some more. "This was a great showcase for women's basketball today. I thought the crowd was amazing. That was as well-played a basketball game as I think you're going to find anywhere. I thought that is about as good as women's basketball can get." At times during the second half, Oregon appeared poised to open up a lead. The Ducks, who took a two-point lead to the locker room, scored the first four points of the second half to draw a timeout by Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer. Early in the fourth quarter, Oregon went back up five and had an Erin Boley 3-point attempt in transition that could have pushed the margin to eight but missed. Each time, Mississippi State rallied. Schaefer praised his team, which fell just short of a third consecutive trip to the Final Four after losing in the national championship game each of the past two seasons, for its fight. "I just can't be prouder of my team today," Schaefer said. "You talk about competitive, tough. I just thought my team just fought tooth and nail today in a really hostile environment. Credit to the community, for the people that came out supporting women's basketball. A great crowd out there today. It's great for our game. "I just thought my team was just phenomenal. I mean, I couldn't be prouder of them for how hard they played, how hard they fought against a really good team. I've watched a ton of film. I've not seen them make that many 3s in a while. They made shots today. You've got to take your hat off to them. When you make shots in a big game like that, you've got to tip your hat to them." Mississippi State's Teaira McCowan finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds for her 31st double-double this season. AP Photo/Steve Dipaola The Ducks' shot making wasn't solely driven by Ionescu. During the third quarter, it was Hebard and Satou Sabally who took center stage. Hebard, taking advantage of the attention the Bulldogs were paying to Oregon's shooters, scored 10 of her 14 points in the period after battling foul trouble in the first half. Sabally, who said Friday she was hoping for a rematch against Mississippi State after a quiet performance in the Ducks' December win in Eugene, responded with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting and seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. For much of the game, however, the Bulldogs matched Oregon shot for shot. Center Teaira McCowan, who suffered through one of her worst performances of the season in Eugene, had a double-double by halftime and finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds despite the Ducks regularly sending three defenders at her. Mississippi State's guards took advantage of the open shots afforded by the attention on McCowan, with all five starters scoring double-figures. Ultimately, the back-and-forth nature of a game in which neither team led by more than seven points and there were 11 ties and 15 lead changes just set the stage of Ionescu to take over late. She scored 14 of her 31 points (the most ever for an Oregon player in an NCAA tournament game) in the final quarter, making key shots time and again -- none bigger than her stepback 3. "I think Sabrina made some really tough shots tonight," said Schaefer. "Obviously, she's a heck of a player. But I thought she made some really tough shots at the shot clock. That's what great players do. They're going to make shots when your team needs it. I thought she was really, really hard to guard." Now, with Oregon headed to Tampa, defending Ionescu will be somebody else's problem. The Ducks move on to face the winner of Monday's Greensboro Regional final between Baylor and Iowa. And though reaching the Final Four is a milestone for Oregon, one they got a chance to enjoy celebrating in front of their fans, the Ducks want to keep going. "All I've got to say is we're not done yet," Ionescu said. "Of course, we're going to be happy, but we're not going to be pleased with how far we've gotten. I think that's one of the reasons we didn't necessarily set one goal before the season. I know we got a lot of critiques for that. "Our goals are further than one game, a Final Four, something that you can really pinpoint. I think our goals are things that we can control, and everything else will take care of itself."<doc-sep>
Alika Jenner/Getty Images Three of the most consistent women's basketball programs in the nation and a newcomer to the sport's biggest stage advanced to the 2019 Women's Final Four. UConn is back at the Final Four, which takes place in Tampa this year, for the 12th consecutive season, but the Huskies haven't won a title since 2016. Notre Dame is making its second straight trip to Final Four, as it looks to conjure up the same late-game magic it used to win the 2018 title. Baylor is back at the Final Four for the first time since it won the championship in 2012, while Oregon is making its first-ever appearance. 2019 Women's Final Four Schedule Friday, April 5 Video Play Button Videos you might like No. 1 Baylor (-4.5) vs. No. 2 Oregon (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) No. 1 Notre Dame (-2.5) vs. No. 2 UConn (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2) Odds obtained from 5Dimes. UConn, Notre Dame Renew Rivalry in Tampa The marquee game of the women's Final Four is the second one on the schedule, as old rivals UConn and Notre Dame face off for the 50th time. Although UConn has a significant edge in the rivalry, Notre Dame has had the Huskies' number in the NCAA tournament. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Notre Dame is the only school to beat UConn more than twice in the NCAA tournament: Muffet McGraw's Fighting Irish are the favored team as the defending champion, and they have a pair of guards in Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young that wreak havoc on any opposing defense. Expect to hear a lot from Notre Dame's guards as they get to the basket in a hurry to spearhead the nation's top scoring offense. The Fighting Irish are averaging 88.5 points per game in the NCAA tournament, and they only gave up 80 points once. Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press However, UConn possesses a similar explosiveness on offense, as it comes into Tampa with the fourth-best scoring offense in Division 1. The Huskies reached the 80-point mark in three of their four tournament games, with the lone exception being the Sweet 16 win over UCLA. Katie Lou Samuelson is the key on offense for UConn, as she comes into Tampa off a 29-point performance against Louisville. But if Samuelson struggles as she did against UCLA, and the Huskies can't keep pace with Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish will get to defend their title in Sunday's national championship. Ionescu Gets Opportunity to Shine on Final Four Stage Triple-double machine Sabrina Ionescu gets her chance to shine on the sport's biggest stage Friday night, as she leads the Oregon Ducks into a semifinal matchup against Baylor. Ionescu was one of the main reasons why the Ducks got past perennial power Mississippi State in the Elite Eight, as she produced 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Steve Dipaola/Associated Press In order for the Ducks to upset Baylor in Friday's opener, Ionescu once again has to be at her best, as she has been all season. Ionescu has a triple-double and a double-double so far in the NCAA tournament, and it wouldn't be a surprise if she takes her game to another level with a standout performance against the top-seeded Bears. The key for Oregon is to stay close with Baylor, who has blown out each of its four opponents in the Big Dance. Since the Bears come into Friday with most of the pressure on their shoulders, Ionescu and the Ducks should be able to play free and challenge Kim Mulkey's team on every possession. Ionescu will be in the spotlight, but she isn't the only Oregon player capable of doing damage on offense, as Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally have been key contributors throughout the tournament. If Oregon puts the pressure on Baylor from the start, it could be able to spring an upset and become the first Pac-12 team since Stanford in 2010 to make the national championship. Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com and NCAA.com.