Hamilton’s Hall leads running of the Bulls
The team with the most Canadian representation at March Madness is moving on after an upset victory on Friday.
The No. 10-seeded Buffalo Bulls women’s team, featuring five Canadians, pulled away late for a 82-71 win against the No. 7 Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Storrs, Conn.
Starting guard Hanna Hall of Hamilton had 12 points and eight assists for the Bulls, while forward Adedola Adeyeye of Brampton chipped in with four points and five rebounds.
The Bulls’ other three Canadians — Oceane Kounkou of Gatineau, Que., Ayoleka Sodade of Windsor, Ont., and Keowa Walters of Toronto — did not play. Buffalo is trying to advance to the Sweet16 for the second year in a row.
It was a slow start for Canadians on the second full day of March Madness, but a couple of Canuck starters enjoyed victories in their tournament kickoffs on Friday afternoon.
Tennessee senior forward Kyle Alexander of Milton had two points and five rebounds as the second-seeded Volunteers withstood a Colgate rally to beat the No. 15 Raiders 77-70 in Columbus, Ohio.
Hamilton’s Hailey Brown had six points and two rebounds as the No. 8-seeded Michigan Wolverines women’s team beat the No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats 84-54 in Louisville, Ky.
Montreal’s Luguentz Dort was held to 12 points by Buffalo in the Bulls’ 91-74 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tulsa, Okla.
á A couple of Canadian versus Canadian matchups are part of Saturday’s men’s schedule.
Ignas Brazdeikis of Oakville and his No. 2 Michigan Wolverines face Andrew Nembhard of Aurora and the No. 10 Florida Gators in Des Moines, Iowa.
Vancouver’s Brandon Clarke takes to the floor with the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs for a contest with the No. 9 Baylor Bears, who have Devonte Bandoo of Brampton on their roster, in Salt Lake City.
Mfiondu Kabengele of Burlington fresh off a double-double in Florida State’s tournament-opening win, also returns to action as the No. 4 Seminoles face the No. 12 Murray State Racers in Hartford, Conn.
á Bridget Carleton of Chatham, Ont., plays her first game of the tournament with Iowa State as the No. 3 Cyclones host the No. 14 New Mexico State Aggies. Carleton was 13th in the country in scoring this season.
Shay Colley of Brampton begins her tournament with the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans against the No. 8 Central Michigan Chippewas in South Bend, Ind.