Tight games, near upsets mark women’s tourney
By DOUG FEINBERG NEW YORK (AP) >> It was some opening day for the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Two games went to overtime — which is one more than the first round last year — while many others came down to the final minute.
Missouri edged Drake in OT as did Marquette over Rice. The Golden Eagles rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final 2:46 of regulation to secure the victory.
Mercer gave Iowa all it could handle and fell just short of becoming the first 15-seed to ever win a game. The Bears fell short in the end and the 15s are now 0-103 in the history of the tournament.
Last season, only five games were decided by single digits in the opening round. This year’s tournament topped that mark by the end of the first day with six.
“It’s great isn’t it? I had my eye in some games, but tried not to watch too much because they are so emotional - the Iowa-Drake these games were crazy,” Miami coach Katie Meier said. “I was glancing, but I really tried to stay away because I knew this was going to be a close game. For women’s basketball, it’s fantastic.”
The Hurricanes had their own scare from Florida Gulf Coast before pulling away in the end to avoid becoming the first No. 4 seed to lose in the opening round since 2012.
It wasn’t all about the close games. The top seeds rolled as Louisville, Mississippi State, Oregon and UConn had easy victories. The Cardinals did so without coach Jeff Walz, who was suspended for the game. He spent the game next door to the arena at a local pub.
Another ACC team had a solid return to the NCAAs. Clemson beat South Dakota, earning the Tigers’ first NCAA tournament victory since 2001.