Smith’s 26 points help UCF to first win over Florida
NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
STORRS — Brittney Smith came off the bench to score a career-high 26 points and lead No. 7 seed UCF past in-state rival Florida 69-52 on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It was UCF’s first win over the Gators in program history after 26 consecutive losses. Diamond Battles added 18 points and Masseny Kaba had 14 for the Knights (26-3).
PRINCETON 69, KENTUCKY 62
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Abby Meyers set a careerhigh with 29 points to lead No. 11-seed Princeton to its second-ever women’s NCAA Tournament win with a 69-62 victory over sixthseeded Kentucky on Saturday.
The Tigers (25-4) have won 18 straight games and never trailed after the first quarter. They led by as many as nine points three times in the fourth quarter. However, it was a grueling battle to knock off the Wildcats (1912), who entered the tournament winners of 10 straight and the last three against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
TENNESSEE 80, BUFFALO 67
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alexus Dye scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the fourth-seeded Lady Vols held off No. 13 seed Buffalo to remain perfect in the NCAA Tournament on their own floor.
Tennessee (24-8) improved to 24-0 in the first round at home, though the Lady Vols’ first game here since 2018 was much tighter than any of the orange-clad fans wanted. The Lady Vols will play either No. 5 seed Oregon or 12th-seeded Belmont in the second round Monday for a berth in the Wichita Region semifinal.
BELMONT 73, OREGON 70
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Destinee Wells knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:02 left in double overtime, and Belmont knocked off No. 5 seed Oregon for their second straight win as a 12 seed to open an NCAA Tournament.
Belmont (23-7) upset 14thranked Gonzaga in the Texas bubble last year in the women’s NCAA Tournament. With plenty of Lady Vols’ fans hanging around to cheer a fellow Tennessee school, the Bruins won their 13th straight and 19th in their last 21 games overall.
INDIANA 85, CHARLOTTE 51
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Mackenzie Holmes scored 19 points to lead Indiana to an 85-51 victory over Charlotte on Saturday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Serving as hosts for the first time in the women’s tournament, the third-seeded Hoosiers (23-8) used a 22-2 run across a nearly six-minute first-half stretch to blow the game open.
Aleksa Gulbe scored the final five in the spurt to make it 33-13 with 6:44 remaining in the half.
KANSAS STATE 50, WASHINGTON STATE 40
RALEIGH, N.C. — Ayoka Lee had 20 points and 15 rebounds as No. 9 Kansas State overcame a frustrating defensive scheme to outlast No. 8 Washington State
Lee, a second-team AP All-America selection, made just one shot from the floor in the first half but rallied in the second to lead the Wildcats (20-11) to their first tournament victory since 2017. Brylee Glenn added 14 points for Kansas State.
VILLANOVA 61, BYU 57
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Maddy Siegrist scored 25 points as 11th-seeded Villanova rallied to beat No. 6 seed BYU.
Kaitlyn Oriehl added 10 points and Lucy Olsen had nine for the Wildcats, who finished second in the Big East.
NC STATE 96, LONGWOOD 68
RALEIGH, N.C. — Raina Perez scored 16 points to lead five North Carolina State players in double digits as the No. 1 Wolfpack pulled away from No. 16 Longwood.
Perez made seven of her eight shots for N.C. State, which won a program-record 30th game this season. Jakia Brown-Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Elissa Cunane tallied 13 points and seven boards. Diamond Johnson and Jada Boyd added 12 points apiece.
OHIO STATE 63, MISSOURI STATE 56
BATON ROUGE, La. — Jacy Sheldon had 25 points and five steals, and No. 6 seed Ohio State overcame an early double-digit deficit to beat 11th seed Missouri State.
Sheldon also made 10 of 12 free throws for the Buckeyes (24-6), who didn’t take the lead for good until Taylor Mikesell made a 3-pointer form the left corner to make it 54-52 with 3:10 left.
MICHIGAN 74, AMERICAN 39
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Naz Hillmon had 24 points and 11 rebounds to help third-seeded Michigan beat No. 14 seed American.
Emily Kiser added 13 points and Leigha Brown had 11 for the Wolverines, who will face No. 11 seed Villanova on Monday in the second round.
LSU 83, JACKSON STATE 77
BATON ROUGE, La. — Khayla Pointer capped a 26-point performance with a tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute, and No. 3 seed LSU rallied from 10 points down in the final 4:42 to outlast Jackson State.
Jailin Cherry scored 24 for LSU (26-5), hitting several key baskets during a stirring comeback that halted Jackson State’s winning streak at 21 and prevented what was nearly the first victory by a No. 14 seed or a Southwestern Athletic Conference team in the women’s NCAA Tournament.