Baylor wins by tourney-record 89
UConn rolls, too; Marquette upset by Quinnipiac, 68-65
By doing the things that coach Kim Mulkey had been emphasizing since a rare Big 12 Tournament loss, Baylor opened the NCAA women’s basketball tournament with a record-setting performance.
It also helped that the Bears, with three post players at least 6 feet 4, were much bigger than NCAA first-timer Texas Southern.
Beatrice Mompremier had 22 points with 11 rebounds, Kalani Brown scored 21 points and freshman post Lauren Cox had 17 as Baylor defeated Texas Southern, 119-30, on Saturday night in the most lopsided women’s NCAA tournament game ever. Baylor’s 119 points were the most ever in regulation of a tournament game.
“That work we’ve put in since the tournament championship game, I think you saw it today,” said Mulkey, whose team lost in the Big 12 championship for the first time in seven years. “You saw post players feeding each other better than they have all year. I think you saw production from people immediately when they came in the game,” she said. “It’s just been an emphasis to continue to work on your defense.”
The Lady Bears (31-3) were ahead 22-0 after Alexis Jones, on her first shot in her first game since Feb. 20, hit a 3-pointer just more than six minutes into the game.
The 89-point margin shattered the previous record 74-point win by Tennessee over North Carolina A&T (111-37) in 1994. Baylor’s 119 points was the third most in tournament history and the most in regulation, surpassing the 116, first set by Ohio State in 1998 and twice matched by UConn, including earlier Saturday.
This wasn’t even Baylor’s biggest victory of the season. The Lady Bears beat Winthrop 140-32 on Dec. 15.
CONNECTICUT 116, ALBANY 55: Napheesa Collier and Kia Nurse each scored 24 points as the top-seeded Huskies (33-0) routed the Great Danes (21-12) and rolled to the program’s 108th straight win and 25th straight in the tournament.
Gabby Williams added 20 points for UConn. She and Collier each pulled down 10 rebounds for UConn, which going for its fifth consecutive NCAA title. The Huskies haven’t lost in the first round since 1993.
QUINNIPIAC 68, MARQUETTE 65: Jennifer Fay scored 20 points and the 12th-seeded Bobcats (28-6) held on in a frantic final minute to upset the fifthseeded Golden Eagles (25-8).
SYRACUSE 85, IOWA STATE 65: Brittney Sykes scored 28 points and Alexis Peterson added 25 to lead the eighthseeded Orange (22-10) past the Cyclones (18-13) and into a rematch of last year’s national championship game against UConn.
STANFORD 72, NEW MEXICO STATE 65: Alanna Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Karlie Samuelson hit five 3pointers and finished with 17 points, and the Cardinal (29-5) survived an upset bid by the Aggies (24-7).
KANSAS STATE 67, DRAKE 54: Breanna Lewis had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Kindred Wesemann added 16 points and the seventh-seeded Wildcats (23-10) got past the 10th-seeded Bulldogs (28-5).
MIAMI 62, FLORIDA GULF COAST 60: Keyona Hayes scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket inside with 1.5 seconds remaining, and the fourth-seeded Hurricanes rallied to beat the 13th-seeded Eagles (26-9).
OREGON 71, TEMPLE 70: Ruthy Hebard hit a jumper with 5.5 seconds remaining to lift the 10th-seeded Ducks (21-13) past the seventh-seeded Owls (24-8).
OKLAHOMA 75, GONZAGA 62: Vionise Pierre-Louis had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots and the sixthseeded Sooners (23-9) held off the 11thseeded Bulldogs (26-7).
LOUISVILLE 82, CHATTANOOGA 62: Asia Durr scored 27 points to lead the fourth-seeded Cardinals (28-7) past the Mocs (21-11).
TENNESSEE 66, DAYTON 57: Diamond DeShields scored 24 points to lead the fifth-seeded Lady Vols (20-11) past the 12th-seeded Flyers (22-10).
UCLA 83, BOISE STATE 56: Monique Billings scored 19 points and Jordin Canada had 15 points and 16 assists to help the fourth-seeded Bruins (24-8) roll to a win over the Broncos (25-8). At Storrs, Conn. UConn 116, Albany (N.Y.) 55 Syracuse 85, Iowa State 65 At Los Angeles UCLA 83, Boise State 56 Texas A&M 63, Penn 61 At Durham, N.C. Oregon 81, Temple 70 Duke 94, Hampton 31 At College Park Maryland (31-2) vs. West Virginia (24-10), 2:35 p.m. At Storrs, Conn. UConn vs. Syracuse At Los Angeles UCLA vs. Texas A&M At Durham, N.C. Oregon vs. Duke At Starkville, Miss. DePaul 88, Northern Iowa 67 Mississippi State 110, Troy 69 At Waco, Texas Baylor 119, Texas Southern 30 California 55, LSU 52 At Louisville, Ky. Louisville 82, Chattanooga 62 Tennessee 66, Dayton 57 At Seattle Oklahoma 75, Gonzaga 62 Washington 91, Montana State 63 At Starkville, Miss. DePaul (27-7) vs. Mississippi State (30-4), 2:30 p.m. At Waco, Texas Baylor vs. California At Louisville, Ky. Louisville vs. Tennessee At Seattle Oklahoma vs. Washington At South Bend, Ind. Purdue 74, Green Bay 62 Notre Dame 79, Robert Morris 49 At Lexington, Ky. Kentucky 73, Belmont 70 Ohio State 70, Western Kentucky 63 At Austin, Texas NC State 62, Auburn 48 Texas 78, Central Arkansas 50