Quinnipiac upsets Marquette in opener
Bobcats prevail 68-65 as game-tying shot rims out
coral gables, fla.» 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, feisty Quinnipiac.
Jennifer Fay scored 20 points and 12th-seeded Quinnipiac held on in a frantic final minute to upset fifth-seeded Marquette 68-65 on Saturday in a Stockton Regional first-round game in the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats (28-6) led by 19 points midway through the third quarter and saw their lead cut to two late but prevailed when Natisha Hiedeman’s 3pointer 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.
B storrs, conn.» Napheesa Collier and Kia Nurse each scored 24 points as the powerhouse Huskies routed Albany for the program’s 108th consecutive win overall and 25th straight in the NCAA Tournament.
Gabby Williams added 20 points for UConn. She and Collier each pulled down 10 rebounds for the Huskies (33-0), who are going for their fifth consecutive NCAA championship. They haven’t lost in the first round since 1993.
coral gables, fla.» Keyona Hayes scored 16 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1.5 seconds remaining, as Miami rallied to beat Florida Gulf Coast in the first round.
Hayes added 10 rebounds for the Hurricanes (24-8), who wasted a 13-point lead and found themselves trailing twice in the final two minutes before rallying.
Taylor Gradinjan’s 3-pointer for FGCU with 8.6 seconds left tied the game at 60. Miami advanced the ball out of a timeout, and the ball went to Hayes — who bulled her way in and scored on a post-up.
durham, n.c.» Ruthy Hebard hit a jumper with 5.5 seconds remaining to lift the Ducks over the Owls the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hebard finished with 23 points and Sabrina Ionescu added 16 points to help Oregon win a wild game that featured three lead changes in the final 30 seconds. Oregon advanced to Monday night’s second round.
Alliya Butts scored 28 points and Feyonda Fitzgerald added 16 for the seventh-seeded Owls.
waco, texas» Kalani Brown scored 21 points and Baylor overwhelmed much smaller Texas Southern in the most lopsided women’s NCAA Tournament game ever played.
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 in.
The 89-point margin broke the previous record, a 74-point win by Tennessee over North Carolina A&T (111-37) in 1994. Schedule, scores