Kentucky, Oregon State survive
Favorites win easily in most first-round matchups
Results from the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday:
Lexington Region No. 4 KENTUCKY 73, No. 13 BELMONT 70:
In Lexington, Ky., Maci Morris made seven of eight free throws in the final 37 seconds, including two with 3.2 seconds remaining, to help Kentucky (22-11) edge Belmont (27-7) and snap the Bruins’ 21-game winning streak.
Wildcats seniors Makayla Epps and Evelyn Akhator did their parts with 52 combined points. Belmont got within 69-68 on two Sally McCabe free throws with 13 seconds remaining, but Morris hit four more free throws in the final stretch.
Epps scored 30 with a career-high five 3-pointers while Akhator added 22.
No. 5 OHIO STATE 70, No. 12 WESTERN KENTUCKY 63:
In Lexington, Ky., Kelsey Mitchell and Asia Doss each scored 15 points, Shayla Cooper grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds and Ohio State (27-6) withstood a late charge from Western Kentucky (27-7) .
Ohio State stretched a seven-point halftime advantage to 64-48 with 4:38 remaining before Western Kentucky used a 15-5 run to make it a two-possession game. Ohio State next faces Kentucky on Sunday.
No. 6 N.C. STATE 62, No. 11 AUBURN 48:
In Austin, Texas, Dominique Wilson scored 23 points and Miah Spencer added 13 to help North Carolina State (23-8) roll over coldshooting Auburn (17-15).
The Wolfpack made the 1,200-mile trek to Texas peeved they weren’t a higher seed and hosting the first weekend, and quickly took out their frustrations on Auburn. N.C. State led by 17 at halftime and pushed it as high 23 by the end of the third quarter.
No. 3 TEXAS 78, No. 14 CENTRAL ARKANSAS 50:
In Austin, Texas, Brooke McCarty scored 15 points and Texas (24-4) overwhelmed Central Arkansas (26-5) in the first half before cruising to a victory.
Texas came in needing something good to happen after losing four of its final six in the regular season. The Longhorns stormed to 24-4 lead by end the end of the first quarter and led 48-20 by halftime.
The Longhorns face N.C. State next.
In South Bend, Ind., Ashley Morrisette scored 20 points, Dominique Oden added 13 and Purdue (23-12) beat Green Bay (27-6).
The Boilermakers, playing their first game since coach Sharon Versyp informed the team she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, made 63 percent of their shots in the first quarter while holding Green Bay to 23 percent shooting to take control.
No. 9 PURDUE 74, No. 8 GREEN BAY 62: No. 1 NOTRE DAME 79, No. 16 ROBERT MORRIS 49:
In South Bend, Ind., Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale scored 15 points each to help Notre Dame (31-3) beat Robert Morris (22-11).
The Irish, who have won 15 straight, improved to 28-5 in seven tournament appearances as a No. 1 seed, but the 30-point margin of victory was the smallest during those games.
No. 3 MARYLAND 103, No. 14 BUCKNELL 61:
In College Park, Md., Shatori WalkerKimbrough scored 28 points, Brionna Jones had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Maryland (31-2) beat Bucknell (27-6) to earn its seventh consecutive trip to the second round.
Playing at home in front of an enthusiastic crowd, the third-seeded Terrapins (31-2) built a 45-22 lead at halftime and expanded the margin to 30 points early in the third quarter.
No. 6 WEST VIRGINIA 75, No. 11 ELON 62:
In College Park, Md., Tynice Martin scored 26 points, Katrina Pardee made a pair of pivotal 3-pointers and West Virginia (24-10) pulled away to a victory over Elon (27-7). The Mountaineers will next face Maryland on Sunday.
Oklahoma City Region No. 2 MISSISSIPPI STATE 110, No. 15 TROY 69:
In Starkville, Miss., Blair Schaefer scored a career-high 21 points, Ameshya Williams added 15 and Mississippi State (304) beat Troy (22-11).
Mississippi State used a 29-6 run in the second quarter to erase any doubt about the outcome.
No. 7 DEPAUL 88, No. 10 NORTHERN IOWA 67:
In Starkville, Miss., Tanita Allen scored 25 points, Lauren Prochaska and Brooke Schulte each added 12 and DePaul (27-7) beat Northern Iowa (24-9).
Allen came off the bench and hit her first six shots, including five 3-pointers to push the Blue Demons ahead early.
Stockton Region No. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 90, No. 16 UNC ASHEVILLE 50:
In Columbia, S.C., Allisha Gray scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds to lead South Carolina (28-4) to a win over UNC Asheville (19-15).
Gray, a 6-foot guard and transfer from North Carolina, scored 20 of her points in the paint and tied her best rebounding night of her career with eight by halftime.
No. 6 MISSOURI 66, No. 11 SOUTH FLORIDA 64:
In Tallahassee, Fla., Sierra Michaelis scored 16 points, including the game-winning basket with 0.6 seconds remaining, and Missouri (23-10) rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat South Florida (24-9).
Michaelis had 13 of her points in the second half for the Tigers, who trailed 38-25 at halftime.
No. 2 OREGON STATE 56, No. 15 LONG BEACH STATE 55:
In Corvallis, Ore., Breanna Brown scored 12 points and Oregon State (30-4) held off feisty Long Beach State (23-11) in the final minute to eke out a victory.
Raven Benton had 17 points Long Beach State, which was trying to become the first 15 seed to ever win a game in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Sydney Wiese hit two free throws to put Oregon State in front 56-55 with 1:07 to go. Benton and Anna Kim missed jumpers in the final 5 seconds for Long Beach State.
No. 7 CREIGHTON 76, No. 10 TOLEDO 49:
In Corvallis, Ore., Marissa Janning had 15 of her 19 points in the first quarter and Creighton (24-7) built an early lead and went on to rout seed Toledo (25-9).
The Bluejays will face Oregon State on Sunday.
No. 8 ARIZONA STATE 73, No. 9 MICHIGAN STATE 61:
In Columbia, S.C., Quinn Dornstauder scored 16 points to lead seed Arizona State (20-12) to a win over Michigan State (21-13).
In a matchup between the stingy defense of the Sun Devils and the high-powered offense of the Spartans, Arizona State won easily.
No. 3 FLORIDA STATE 87, No. 14 WESTERN ILLINOIS 66:
In Tallahassee, Fla., Shakayla Thomas scored 23 points and Florida State (26-6) beat Western Illinois (26-7).
Florida State led 36-34 at halftime but went on a 14-5 run at the beginning of the third quarter to take control.