No. 10 Virginia advances with 82-73 OT win over No. 7 Georgia in first round

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kymora Johnson scored 28 points and Sa’Myah Smith added a career-high 23 to go with 11 rebounds as 10th seed Virginia beat seventh seed Georgia 82-73 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game on Saturday.

The Cavaliers (21-11) became the first lower seed to win in March Madness this season. Virginia will play either second seed Iowa or 15th seed Fairleigh Dickinson in Monday’s second round.

Virginia, which became the second team ever that played in the first four to win a game, outscored Georgia (22-10) 11-2 in overtime. Smith, who was held scoreless in the second half, scored five of the Cavaliers’ points.

Georgia had two chances to win the game in the final seconds of regulation. Trinity Turner’s shot with four seconds left missed, and Savannah Henderson grabbed the offensive rebound before being tied up by Smith. The possession arrow favored Georgia with seven-tenths of a second remaining, giving the Bulldogs a final shot. But Mia Woolfolk’s 10-foot jumper hit off the left rim as the buzzer sounded.

Woolfolk led Georgia with 27 points. Rylie Theuerkauf had 22 points, all but two points coming in the first half. Henderson had 11 points.

FORT WORTH 1 REGIONAL

NO. 1 UCONN 90, NO. 16 UTSA 52

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Sarah Strong scored 18 points and Ashlynn Shade added 14 to help UConn rout UTSA in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournamen t.

The Huskies (35-0) have won 51 consecutive games dating back to last season and looked dominant again despite not having a great shooting game from behind the 3-point line.

UConn led 19-6 after the first quarter and poured it on in the second. Strong had nine points and two steals in the first quarter as the Huskies limited USTA to three field goals.

UTSA (18-16) had one field goal in the final 8:54 of the second quarter and trailed 48-14 at the half as Strong hit a jumper right before the buzzer. Blanca Quinonez had 10 points during an 18-1 run for the Huskies

Azzi Fudd picked up her third foul with 1:44 left in the opening quarter. KK Arnold was whistled for her third foul with 7:40 to play in the first half.

UTSA had 27 turnovers in the game and only 20 baskets.

NO. 3 OHIO STATE 75, NO. 14 HOWARD

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jaloni Cambridge scored 21 points and Ohio State rolled to a victory over Howard in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Kennedy Cambridge, Chance Gray and Ava Watson had 11 points apiece for the Buckeyes (27-7), who will face sixth-seeded Notre Dame or 11th-seeded Fairfield on Monday for a chance to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2023.

Zennia Thomas led Howard with 15 points and Ariella Henigan added 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Bison end the season 26-8 after making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance.

The first eight minutes saw five ties and five lead changes before Ohio State took control. Howard had a 14-12 advantage on a pair of free throws by Dallyssha Moreno before the Buckeyes went on an 18-1 run.

NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 79, NO. 11 FAIRFIELD 60

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo had a dominant performance with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals and six assists as Notre Dame led the entire game en route to a victory over Fairfield in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Irish, who have advanced to the Sweet 16 in their last 14 March Madness trips, will face third-seeded Ohio State on Monday. The Buckeyes advanced with a 75-54 win over Howard.

Iyana Moore scored 18 points and Cassandre Prosper had 17 points and eight rebounds as the Fighting Irish won for the 10th time in their last 12 games.

Meghan Anderson led Fairfield with 21 points. The Stags led the nation in 3-pointers, making 11.4 per game, but were 9 of 29 beyond the arc, including 2 of 11 in the first half.

Hidalgo — an AP second-team All-America selection and two-time ACC player of the year — had 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in the first half as the Fighting Irish had a 36-24 lead at the break.

NO. 9 SYRACUSE , NO. 8 IOWA STATE

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Uche Izoje had 16 of her 23 points in the first half as ninth-seeded topped No. 8 Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament despite 37 points from Cyclones All-American Audi Crooks.

Olivia Schmitt added a season-high 15 points for the Orange, who will face reigning national champion UConn in the second round of March Madness on Monday.

Laila Phelia had 18 points and Sophie Burrows added 13 points and nine rebounds for Syracuse (24-8). Jada Williams had 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists for Iowa State (22-10).

Syracuse was playing in the Storrs subregional for the second time in three years. They also faced UConn in the second round two years ago. Sophie Burrows was one of three Syracuse players to score in double figures with 18 points in that 72-64 loss.

No. 2 VANDERBILT 102, No. 15 HIGH POINT 61

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — All-American Mikayla Blakes scored 23 of her 30 points by halftime as second-seeded Vanderbilt routed No. 15 seed High Point to open the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt (28-4) came in with the most victories in program history and remain undefeated at Memorial Gym this season. Now they play either seventh-seeded Illinois or No. 10 seed Colorado (22-11) on Monday night for a spot in the Sweet 16 of the Fort Worth 1 Region.

Sacha Washington had 10 points and 17 rebounds, and Aubrey Galvan added 17 points. Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda added 10 as 11 Commodores had at least a point.

High Point (27-6) won both the Big South’s regular season title and tournament championship for the automatic berth with the Panthers’ second straight and third NCAA berth overall. Macy Spencer, a transfer from UNLV, did her best to keep them close with 22 of her 27 points in the first half.

No. 7 ILLINOIS 86, No. 10 COLORADO 57

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Cearah Parchment scored 21 points as seventh-seeded Illinois beat No. 10 seed Colorado in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Illini (22-11) are the youngest team in this tournament after replacing four starters, and they now have won a first-round game for a second straight season. Illinois will play No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, a 102-61 winner over No. 15 seed High Point, on Monday night for a berth in the Sweet 16 of the Fort Worth 1 Region.

Berry Wallace added 18 points for Illinois, and Destiny Jackson grabbed 11 rebounds and scored 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

Colorado (22-12) won four of the first seven games between these programs, but this was the first for these programs to play since 2013 and first in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes missed their last five shots going scoreless from the floor after Jade Masogayo’s layup with 4:08 left.

Desiree Wooten led Colorado with 17 points, and Masogayo added 15.

FORT WORTH 3 REGIONAL

NO. 3 LOUISVILLE 72, NO. 14 VERMONT 52

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mackenly Randolph scored 20 points to help Louisville pull away for a win over Vermont in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

It marked the second straight game that the 6-foot sophomore posted a career high in points and her second straight game with a career-high 11 rebounds. She scored nine points in the third quarter, including four during an 11-2 run that gave the third-seeded Cardinals (28-7) their first double-digit lead of the contest.

After shooting just 36.4% in the first half, Louisville made 10 of its 18 shots in the third quarter.

The daughter of former NBA All-Star Zach Randolph then drained a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 58-38 just 11 seconds into the fourth quarter.

It was a close contest throughout the first half, as the Catamounts (27-8) held a 16-12 lead with less than two minutes left in the opening quarter after Keira Hanson scored seven straight.

A 3-pointer from Tajianna Roberts gave Louisville a 24-22 lead with 6:05 left in the first half, and the Cardinals would not trail again.

NO. 4 WEST VIRGINIA 82, NO. 13 MIAMI (OHIO) 54

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Sydney Shaw had 19 points and nine rebounds, Gia Cooke scored 18 points and West Virginia used an early defensive lockdown to take control in a victory over Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

West Virginia (28-6), the fourth seed in the Fort Worth region, will meet No. 5 seed Kentucky in the second round on Monday. The Wildcats beat 12th-seeded James Madison earlier Saturday.

Jordan Harrison had 15 points and eight assists, while Kierra Wheeler added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mountaineers.

Amber Scalia led Miami with 14 points, Amber Tretter added 13 and Ilsa de Vries 12.

Miami (28-7), the No. 13 seed which set a school record for wins this season, fell to 0-2 all-time in the tournament. It’s other appearance came in 2008.

Buoyed by a loud sellout crowd at its home arena, West Virginia used a 16-3 run spanning the halves to put away Miami. But it was a flurry of earlier steals that turned the tide.

NO. 5 KENTUCKY 71, NO. 12 JAMES MADISON 56

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Tonie Morgan had 18 points and Amelia Hassett scored 11 of her 14 during a dominant first half to help Kentucky cruise to a victory over James Madison in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Clara Strack had her 15th double-double of the season for the Wildcats (24-10), the No. 5 seed in the Fort Worth region, who advanced to play either No. 4 seed West Virginia or No. 13 Miami (Ohio) in the second round on Monday.

Strack, a 6-foot-5 center who averages a double-double this season, had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats. Jordan Obi added 12 points.

Ashanti Barnes scored 16 and Peyton McDaniel added 15 points for the 12th-seeded Dukes (26-9). The Sun Belt Conference Tournament champs saw their 12-game winning streak snapped.

James Madison used a sagging zone defense in the paint or a double-team on Strack in an attempt to slow down the Wildcats, but that left Strack’s teammates open for easy shots.

The taller Wildcats worked the ball inside for easy baskets and made things tough on the defensive end of the court. Kentucky blocked eight shots and limited James Madison to 29% shooting in the first half and 34% for the game.

NO. 6 ALABAMA 68, NO. 11 RHODE ISLAND 55

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Jessica Timmons scored 21 points and Essence Cody added 19 as Alabama beat Rhode Island in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson Tide (24-10) won a first-round tournament game for the third straight year by shooting 53.2% (25 of 47) and dominating inside, outscoring the Rams (28-5) 42-12 in the paint.

Other than Brooklyn Gray’s 3-pointer on the Rams’ first possession, sixth-seeded Alabama led throughout the first half. The Tide outscored Rhode Island 14-1 over the first 7:26 of the second quarter to build a 30-14 lead.

Defense played a big role in Alabama’s run as Rhode Island went just 1 for 19 over an 11-minute stretch in the first half. That included missing eight 3-point attempts and committing a pair of shot-clock violations.

The Rams, seeded 11th, closed out the first half on a 9-1 run and cut Alabama’s lead to eight points at the break.

Cody drew her third foul just 72 seconds into the second half, sending the 6-foot-4 junior to the bench for nearly the remainder of the quarter. Rhode Island closed within four points three times in the third before the Crimson Tide used a 12-0 run to pull away.

SACRAMENTO 2 REGIONAL

No. 2 OKLAHOMA ST. 82, No. 5 PRINCETON 68

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oklahoma State survived blowing most of their leads of 18 and 14 points to beat Princeton, giving Jacie Hoyt her first March Madness win in her fourth season as coach.

The eighth-seeded Cowgirls (24-9) were led by Achol Akot with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Jaydyn Wooten had 18 points and 10 assists and Micah Gray added 16 points.

Oklahoma State had lost in the first round in its last two March Madness appearances.

The ninth-seeded Tigers (26-4) closed within four in the third quarter, when they outscored the Cowgirls 20-13, and within five early in the fourth. Princeton was led by Madison St. Rose with 17 points. Skye Belker and Ashley Chea had 14 points each while combining to make seven of the Tigers’ eight 3-pointers in the game.

Oklahoma State was too strong in the fourth, outscoring the Tigers 21-15, including a 9-0 run after the Tigers got to 63-58. The Cowgirls ran off nine straight points to start the fourth to snuff out Princeton’s hopes.

No. 1 UCLA 96, No. 16 CAL BAPTIST 43

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After giving up five 3-pointers in a competitive first half, UCLA had seen enough. The Bruins allowed just one in a dominant second half on the way to a 96-43 of Cal Baptist in the opening round of March Madness.

The top-seeded Bruins (32-1) were led by Lauren Betts with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Kiki Rice had 18 points — making all 10 of her free throws — to go with seven assists as UCLA opened its bid to return to the Final Four for a second straight year.

UCLA advanced to a second-round matchup against Oklahoma State (24-9) on Monday.

Buoyed by their raucous fans who traveled 67 miles from Riverside, the scrappy Lancers (23-10) kept it close for 20 minutes. They led by three points early before UCLA’s 14-3 run put the Bruins back in front to end the first quarter ahead 23-15.

After two straight baskets by Betts pushed UCLA’s lead to 12, Chance Bucher hit back-to-back 3-pointers that got the Lancers within six early in the second quarter. Their sixth 3 of the half left Cal Baptist trailing by five before UCLA went into halftime ahead 44-34.

Then the Bruins got down to business.

They outscored the Lancers 52-9 over the final two quarters. Cal Baptist finished 6 of 30 from 3-point range.

SACRAMENTO 4 REGIONAL

NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 103, NO. 16 SOUTHERN 34

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Joyce Edwards had 27 points and eight rebounds and South Carolina won its 17th straight home women’s NCAA Tournament game with a defeat of Southern.

Edwards and the Gamecocks (32-3) opened with a 15-0 burst and never let up against the Jaguars (20-14), the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions.

South Carolina, already up 25 at the break, outscored Southern 32-2 in the third quarter.

It took little time for South Carolina to get going with Edwards scoring the first two baskets. Ta’Niya Latson added five points in the opening run as Southern started 0-for-7 shooting with six turnovers.

Latson finished with 17 points while Madina Okot and Agot Makeer had 15 points each. Tessa Johnson had 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

NO. 2 IOWA 58, NO. 15 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 48

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Ava Heiden scored a career-high 29 points, including 12 straight for Iowa in the fourth quarter, and the Hawkeyes survived an upset bid from Fairleigh Dickinson with a victory in their NCAA Tournament first-round game.

Hannah Stuelke added 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (27-6), who advanced to Monday’s second-round game against 10th-seeded Virginia. But to do that, Iowa had to escape the Knights (30-5), who came into the game with a 22-game winning streak and were never rattled by the sellout crowd of 14,332.

Iowa only led 35-33 to start the fourth quarter and was up 42-36 when Heiden took the game over. The Knights were within 44-43 with 6:24 to play and 48-46 with 3:24 left, but Heiden answered with baskets inside each time.

Iowa held the Knights to just two points over the final 5:24.

Heiden was 11 of 16 from the field and added seven rebounds.

Iowa shot 41.7% from the field, but made just 1 of 13 3-pointers. Kylie Feuerbach also had 11 rebounds for the Hawkeyes, who had a 47-28 rebounding advantage.

NO. 9 USC 71, NO. 8 CLEMSON 67, OT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Freshman Jazzy Davidson scored 31 points in her women’s NCAA Tournament debut, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:03 left in overtime to lift Southern California to a victory over Clemson.

Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday.

It looked like Clemson had won when Mia Moore flipped in a running basket at the regulation buzzer and the Tigers ran onto the court in celebration. But officials reviewed the play and found the shot clock had not properly started with 4.4 seconds to play when Clemson inbounded the ball, and they waved off the basket.

Clemson led 64-61 with 2:34 to play in OT when Davidson got going. She hit a tying 3-pointer and then put USC ahead to stay on the next possession after Malia Samuels gathered Davidson’s missed shot and got it back to Davidson for the go-ahead basket.

The dynamic freshman, who came in leading the team in scoring at 17.6 points, played all 45 minutes and finished a point shy of her career high.

https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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