Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jordan Nixon banked in a short jump shot at the buzzer in overtime, giving her a career-high 35 points and lifting Texas A&M to an 84-82 victory over Iowa State in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Nixon scored seven of A&M’s nine points in OT, pushing the Aggies into the Sweet 16 for the third straight time. She also led the rally in the fourth quarter, scoring the last four points of regulation.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Missouri State is going to its second Sweet 16 in a row in the women’s NCAA Tournament. Elle Ruffridge had 20 points with five 3-pointers and Jasmine Franklin had a double-double as the Lady Bears knocked off Wright State 64-39 in a matchup of mid-major teams. The Lady Bears now advance to play Stanford, the No. 1 overall seed in this NCAA Tournament. That is the same matchup as in the Sweet 16 two years ago. Angel Baker and Shamarre Hale each had 10 points for the 13th-seeded Raiders.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Big Ten Conference is having a major impact at the women’s NCAA Tournament with four teams in the Sweet 16. Indiana, Iowa, Maryland and Michigan have all advanced after the league only had four qualifiers total reach the round of the 16 in the previous four tournaments. Iowa’s next game is against top seed UConn, which got a boost when coach Geno Auriemma returned to the team after quarantining from a positive COVID-19 test. Auriemma missed his team’s first two games, but was greeted with cheers and hugs from his players.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — There aren’t two bigger stars in the women’s NCAA Tournament this year than Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. It’s almost as if the freshmen are playing a personal game of horse on the national stage. After one delivers a highlight-filled performance, the other delivers a top-this moment. In one of the most anticipated matchups, they’ll meet for the first time in their college careers in the Sweet 16 on Saturday with Bueckers leading UConn against Clark and her Iowa teammates. ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo says the game will be entertaining for all basketball fans and that “we need Iowa and UConn to play each other the next three years!”

UNDATED (AP) — Kansas State and athletic director Gene Taylor have agreed to a contract extension. It includes a significant jump in base salary to $925,000 per year through June 2027. The 63-year-old Taylor was nearing the end of a five-year deal he signed in 2017. That contract paid him $450,000 the first year with $50,000 increases each of the next four. He had agreed to a 13% paycut last year to help with budget problems caused by the pandemic.