UConn looks like UConn of old in a rout of Vermont
Toledo, a 12 seed, downs Iowa St.
STORRS, Conn. — UConn coach Geno Auriemma was a bit concerned about how this group of Huskies might respond to the pressure of the NCAA Tournament.
He needn’t have worried. Few teams can match the strength and athleticism of Connecticut’s front court and Vermont was not one of those teams.
Aaliyah Edwards scored a career-high 28 points, Dorka Juhasz added a double-double and the secondseeded Huskies routed the 15th seeded Catamounts 95-52 on Saturday, giving Connecticut a 29th straight win in the tournament’s opening round.
Caroline Ducharme added 12 points, helping Connecticut (30-5) to its 26th 30-win season during Auriemma’s 38 years as coach. BAYLOR 78, ALABAMA 74: In Storrs, Ja’Mee Asberry scored 26 points, including three key foul shots in the final minute, and the seventh-seeded Bears overcame an early 18-point deficit to beat the Crimson Tide.
Baylor will face No. 2 seed UConn on Monday night.
TOLEDO 80, IOWA STATE 73: In Knoxville, Tenn., Quinesha Lockett scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Rockets knocked off the fifth-seeded Cyclones for the second win by a 12 seed in the opening round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Toledo now will play No. 4 seed Tennessee, a 95-50 winner over 13th-seeded Saint Louis, on Monday night seeking its first Sweet 16 ever in the Seattle 3 region.
TENNESSEE 95, SAINT LOUIS 50: In Knoxville, Tenn., Jordan Horston scored 21 points and Rickea Jackson added 18 as the fourth-seeded Lady Vols (24-11) remained perfect when opening the NCAA Tournament on their home court, routing the No. 13 seed Billikens (17-18).
The Lady Vols (24-11) improved to 25-0 in firstround games on their home court to reach Monday night’s second-round where they will play 12th-seeded Toledo, an 80-73 upset winner over No. 5 seed Iowa State. Tennessee improved to 6-2 all-time as a No. 4 seed.
MIAMI 62, OKLAHOMA STATE 61: In Bloomington, Ind., Haley Cavinder scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half and made what proved to be the decisive free throw with 8.9 seconds left to complete a 17-point second half comeback and send the ninthseeded Hurricanes (20-12) into the second round with a victory over the eighthseeded Cowgirls (21-16).
INDIANA 77, TENN. TECH 47: In Bloomington, Sydney Parrish scored 19 points and had eight rebounds to lead Indiana past Tennessee Tech.
All-American center Mackenzie Holmes cheered on her Indiana teammates from the bench while resting a sore knee. Grace Berger had 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks and Lilly Meister added seven points and three blocks in her first career start.
COLORADO 82, MIDDLE TENN. 60: In Durham, N.C., Frida Formann scored 21 points and Colorado unleashed a torrid 3-point shooting display to roll past Middle Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament’s first round Saturday night.
Jaylyn Sherrod added 13 points and Aaronette Vonleh had 11 points for the Buffaloes, who made 13 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Seven Colorado players made at least one 3, led by Formann’s 5-for-8 effort.
Colorado (24-8), which will be in the second round for the first time since 2013, meets the Iona-Duke winner Monday. No. 3 DUKE 89, No. 14 IONA 49: In Durham, Celeste Taylor and Elizabeth Balogun each scored 13 points and Duke marked its return to NCAA Tournament action with a romp past Iona.
It was the first NCAA Tournament win for Duke since 2018, when it last had a spot in the tournament. Duke has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in all 25 seasons when it has been in the field.
Kennedy Brown and Jordyn Oliver added 10 points apiece as the Blue Devils (26-6) shot 57.1% from the field.
Ketsia Athias led No. 14 seed Iona (26-7) with 20 points. Juana Camilion had 12.
VILLANOVA 76, CLEVELAND STATE 59: In Villanova, Pa., Maddy Siegrist became the fifth women’s player in NCAA history to score 1,000 points in a season and the first-team AP All-American had 35 points to lead fourth-seeded Villanova into the NCAA Tournament’s second round with a win Saturday over Cleveland State.
The Wildcats (29-6) will play No. 12-seed Florida Gulf Coast (33-3) on Monday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The Eagles topped Washington State 74-63 in Saturday’s first game.
Villanova’s 29 wins this season tie the 1981-82 team for most in program history.
The two-time Big East Player of the Year, Siegrist got hot early and reached her milestone 1,000th-point bucket in style. Siegrist followed her shot after she missed a jumper from the elbow, crashed the boards and stripped the ball from a Cleveland State defender that had grabbed the rebound. She tossed up a fadeaway and banked in the bucket .
FLORIDA GULF COAST 74, WASH. STATE 63: In Villanova, Maddie Antenucci’s 3-pointer bounced four times before going through the net as part of her game-changing spree from beyond the arc that sent Florida Gulf Coast into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a win over Washington State.
NORTH CAROLINA 61, ST. JOHN’S 59: In Columbus, Ohio, Deja Kelly had a go-ahead three-point play with 2 seconds left and No. 6 seed North Carolina hung on for a win over 11thseeded St. John’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The Tar Heels faced their first deficit of the game when Danielle Patterson sank a 3-pointer with 6:39 left to play.
The Red Storm led for the next four-plus minutes until Paulina Paris was fouled in transition and made the ensuing free throw to tie the game at 54.
No. 3 OHIO STATE 80, No. 14 JAMES MADISON 66: In Columbus, Cotie McMahon scored 18 points to help the Buckeyes pull away for a win over James Madison.
No. 5 OKLAHOMA 85, No. 12 PORTLAND 63: In Los Angeles, Aubrey Joens and Taylor Robertson each scored 14 points and Oklahoma took control in the third quarter to defeat Portland.
No. 5 LOUISVLLE 83, No. 12 DRAKE 81: In Austin, Texas, Hailey Van Lith scored 13 points over the final five minutes, including five in a row in the final 16 seconds, and Louisville held off Drake’s frantic March Madness upset bid.
TEXAS 79., EAST CAROLINA 40: In Austin, Shaylee Gonzales scored 20 points and the Longhorns rolled past the Pirates.