Quinnipiac offers stunner at start
Quinnipiac coach Tricia Fabbri walked across the court after the final buzzer, her arms in the air as she looked toward the Bobcats’ fan base.
“Welcome to March Madness,” Fabbri said.
And welcome to the second round, Quinnipiac.
Jennifer Fay scored 20 points and 12th-seeded Quinnipiac held on in a frantic final minute to upset fifth-seeded Marquette, 68-65, yesterday in a Stockton Regional first-round game at the NCAA
NCAA WOMEN’S ROUNDUP
tournament in Coral Gables, Fla.
The Bobcats (28-6) led by 19 points midway through the third quarter, saw the lead cut to two late but prevailed when Natisha Hiedeman’s 3-pointer for Marquette rimmed out as time expired.
“I think we really flew unjustly into the NCAA tournament,” Fabbri said. “The only way that was going to change was a win here today. And we took care of business.”
Paula Strautmane scored seven of her 15 points in the fourth quarter for the Bobcats, who never trailed. Strautmane made a pair of free throws with 17.6 seconds left to give Quinnipiac a 67-63 lead, then added another for a threepoint edge with 2.8 seconds left.
Erika Davenport had 21 points for Marquette (25-8), the Big East tournament champions whose eightgame winning streak was snapped.
Marquette had many chances to tie in the final seconds, including Hiedeman’s 15-footer that was blocked by Quinnipiac’s Adily Martucci. Miami 62, Florida Gulf Coast 60 — Keyona Hayes scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1.5 seconds remaining, and the fourth-seeded Hurricanes (248) rallied to beat the 13th-seeded Eagles (26-9) in Coral Gables, Fla.
Bridgeport Regional
UConn 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) in Storrs, Conn. It was UConn’s 108th straight win.
Gabby Williams added 20
points for UConn. She and Collier each pulled down 10 rebounds for the Huskies, who are going for their fifth consecutive NCAA title. They haven’t lost in the first round since 1993.
Syracuse 85, Iowa St. 65 — Also in Storrs, Conn., Brittney Sykes scored 28 points and Alexis Peterson added 25 to lead the No. 8 Orange (22-10) to a win over the No. 9 Cyclones (18-13).
Oregon 71, Temple 70 — Ruthy Hebard hit a jumper with 5.5 seconds remaining to lift the No. 10 Ducks (21-13) past the No. 7 Owls (24-8) in Durham, N.C.
UCLA 83, Boise St. 56 — Monique Billings scored 19 points and Jordin Canada had 15 points and 16 assists as the No. 4 Bruins (248) roll to a win over the the No. 13 Broncos (25-8) in Los Angeles.
Texas A&M 63, Penn 61 — In Los Angeles, Khaalia Hillsman scored 27 points and the No. 5 Aggies (22-11) overcame a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the No. 12 Quakers (22-8) with the biggest comeback in tourney history.
Duke 94, Hampton 31 — Rebecca Greenwell had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the No. 2 Blue Devils (28-5) routed the No. 15 Pirates (20-13) in Durham, N.C.
Lexington Regional
Stanford 72, New Mexico St. 64 — In Manhattan, Kan., Alanna Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Karlie Samuelson hit five 3-pointers as the No. 2 Cardinal (29-5) survived a spirited upset bid to beat the No. 15 Aggies (24-7).
Kansas St. 67, Drake 54 — Also in Manhattan, Kan., Breanna Lewis had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Kindred Wesemann added 16 points and the No. 7 Wildcats (2310) beat the No. 10 Bulldogs (28-5).
Oklahoma City Regional
Louisville 82, Chattanooga 62 — Asia Durr scored 27 points to lead the No. 4 Cardinals (28-7) to a victory over the No. 13 Mocs (21-11) in Louisville, Ky.
Tennessee 66, Dayton 57 — Also in Louisville, Diamond DeShields scored 24 points to lead the No. 5 Lady Vols (20-11) over the No. 12 Flyers (22-10). Baylor 119, Texas Southern 30
— In Waco, Texas, Kalani Brown scored 21 points and the topseeded Lady Bears (31-3) overwhelmed the Tigers (23-10) in the most lopsided tourney game ever.
Oklahoma 75, Gonzaga 62 — Vionise Pierre-Louis had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots and the No. 6 Sooners (23-9) beat the No. 11 Bulldogs (26-7) in Seattle.
California 55, LSU 52 — Asha Thomas scored 18 points as the Bears (20-13) clawed past the Tigers (20-12) in Waco, Texas. Washington 91, Montana St. 63 — Kelsey Plum scored 17 of her 29 points in the second half as the No. 3 Huskies (28-5) pulled away from the No. 14 Bobcats (25-7) in Seattle.