Beavers pull off big upset
Sixth-seeded Oregon State upset No. 2 seed Baylor in the Sweet 16 on Friday, ending the Lady Bears’ 30-game winning streak.
LEXINGTON, KY. — Marie Gulich had 26 points, Kat Tudor added 16 and sixthseeded Oregon State shot 58 percent in the second half to upset No. 2 seed Baylor 72-67 on Friday night in the women's NCAA Tournament Lexington Region semifinal.
Two years after upsetting Baylor in the Elite Eight, Oregon State (26-7) followed up with a steady performance that ended the Lady Bears' 30-game winning streak. The Beavers had to withstand nine consecutive points by Alexis Morris that got the Lady Bears (33-2) to 69-67 with 42 seconds remaining before Katie McWilliams' leftcorner 3-pointer provided a five-point edge.
Morris missed two 3s and Natalie Chou another in the final 10 seconds for Baylor, which shot just 39 percent and was edged 38-37 on the glass.
Gulich made 10 of 17 from the field and had nine rebounds for OSU, which won for the 10 time in 11 contests. Tudor was 5 of 10 shooting and 4 of 8 from long range as the Beavers made 9 of 20 from behind the arc.
Kalani Brown had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Baylor, which was outscored in all but the second quarter in losing for the first time since falling 68-62 at UCLA in November.
The Beavers weren't intimidated by Baylor's winning streak or size, working around the latter with crisp passing for good looks and controlling the boards throughout. Gulich thrived in both cases, hitting midrange shots and the boards. Perimeter shooting was key, with Tudor and Corosdale combining for seven 3-pointers on 13 attempts. McWilliams' late 3 was the difference.
Mississippi State routs N.C. State
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Teaira McCowan had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Victoria Vivians added 14 points and top-seeded Mississippi State routed North Carolina State 71-57 on Friday night to reach the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Morgan William added 13 points and Roshunda Johnson, who lost her grandfather earlier in the week, added 12 as the Bulldogs (35-1) also broke their school record for wins in a season.
Kiara Leslie had 27 points to pace the No. 4 seed Wolfpack (26-9), who led early in the second quarter before coming undone. Foul trouble set in, Mississippi State clamped down defensively and North Carolina State coach Wes Moore was hit with a technical foul as the Bulldogs pulled away.
The Wolfpack also had no answer for McCowan, whose size presented all kinds of problems. The only junior in a senior-laden starting lineup, she finished 11 of 11 from the field and made both of her foul shots on a night that would have been perfect except for a trio of turnovers.