STANFORD, Calif. -- Sobbing as she received hugs from friends and administrators, Mississippi Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin tried to grasp the magnitude of her team's stunning win against top-seeded Stanford when someone reminded her there's more basketball to be played.
Her two young daughters danced on the floor.
Her proud father provided a shoutout to everybody back home in The Bahamas.
Her team posed and midcourt and shouted, "Seattle!" That's where the Rebels are headed next.
Madison Scott hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left that gave Mississippi the lead for good, Angel Baker scored 13 points, and the Rebels delivered on their declaration to get defensive, stunning top-seeded Stanford 54-49 on Sunday night to reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time in 16 years.
"This is such a big accomplishment. A lot of us came here to make history and that's what we're doing," freshman Ayanna Thompson said.
Behind the entire game, Stanford called timeout with 28 seconds left then Hannah Jump turned the ball over and Scott converted. Haley Jones lost the ball out of bounds on the Cardinal's last possession with a chance to tie then again in the waning moments.
Marquesha Davis hit a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds to play as Ole Miss overcame not making a field goal over the final 5:47, going 0 for 8.
These upstart Rebels (25-8) advance to the Seattle Regional semifinal next weekend, while Tara VanDerveer's Stanford team (29-6) is eliminated far earlier than this group envisioned -- the season ending on the Cardinal's home floor. Jones fought tears after her final game, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds but five turnovers.
Only four No. 1 seeds had lost before the Sweet 16 since 1994, with Duke the last one in 2009. Stanford did so once before, falling to 16th-seeded Harvard in the first round of the 1998 tournament.
The Cardinal had reached 14 consecutive Sweet 16s and hadn't lost in the first or second rounds since No. 10 seed Florida State shocked the fifth-seeded Cardinal 68-61 at Maples Pavilion in the second round exactly 16 years ago to the day before on March 19, 2007.
Cameron Brink came back from a one-game absence because of a stomach bug to finish with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocked shots, but Stanford never led and tried to come from behind all night. The program's career blocks leader, she finished with 118 on the season and has 297 total.
Stanford had won 21 consecutive NCAA games on its home floor and is 41-5 all-time at Maples during March Madness.
Ole Miss led the entire first half on the way to a 29-20 lead at the break at raucous Maples Pavilion, where the crowd went wild when Brink blocked three consecutive shots in the same sequence by Rita Igbokwe midway through the second quarter. About two minutes later, Igbokwe grabbed at her mouth after being hit.
The Rebels got a scare when senior guard Myah Taylor went down hard grabbing at her chest with 6:41 left in the third after colliding with Francesca Belibi while moving to defend Indya Nivar. After a short break to catch her breath, Taylor was back running the point.
IOWA 74, GEORGIA 66
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Caitlin Clark had 22 points and 12 assists while Monika Czinano added 20 points to help Iowa beat Georgia.
The Hawkeyes (28-6) advance to the ninth Sweet Sixteen in program history.
Gabbie Marshall added 15 points and McKenna Warnock had 14 for Iowa, which erased the memory of last season's second-round home loss to No. 10 seed Creighton.
Clark, a first-team Associated Press All-American, was held scoreless for 13 minutes in the first half, but scored 14 second-half points as the Hawkeyes finally shook off the 10th-seeded Lady Bulldogs (22-12). She made just 6 of 17 shots, but either scored or assisted on nearly every point by the Hawkeyes in the second half.
Georgia, a No. 10 seed, got within 68-66 on a three-pointer from Audrey Warren with 2:17 left in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs would not score again, committing three consecutive turnovers and missing a layup.
Diamond Battles led Georgia with 21 points. Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson each had 12 points.
Mississippi forward Madison Scott, left, and guard Ayanna Thompson defend against Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the women's NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
Mississippi coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin gestures during the first half of the team's second-round college basketball game against Stanford in the women's NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
Stanford forward Francesca Belibi, foreground, dunks during warmups before a second-round college basketball game against Mississippi in the women's NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer reacts during the first half of the team's second-round college basketball game against Mississippi in the women's NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Stanford, Calif.(AP Photo/Josie Lepe)