JMU leads by 16, but can’t pull upset
Big second half helps No. 3 seed Ohio State prevail
Cotie McMahon scored 18 points to help No. 3 seed Ohio State pull away for an 80-66 win over No. 14 seed James Madison in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
McMahon made her team’s first 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the third quarter to give Ohio State (26-7) a 44-43 lead, and the Buckeyes led the rest of the way. They trailed by as many as 16 in the first half before going on a 12-0 run.
Jacy Sheldon scored three of her 17 points during an 8-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter.
James Madison (26-8) led 26-14 and was making 50% of its shots at the end of the first quarter. The Dukes shot 37.9% in the second half and turned it over 21 times, their most in 10 games.
Kiki Jefferson led the Dukes with 17 points and Jamia Hazell added 10.
North Carolina 61, St. John’s 59:
Deja Kelly had a go-ahead threepoint play with 2 seconds left and No. 6 seed North Carolina hung on for a win over 11th-seeded St. John’s in the first round in Columbus, Ohio.
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.
Kelly led North Carolina with 18 points.
The Tar Heels will play No. 3 Ohio State on Monday.
Villanova 76, Cleveland State 59:
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 fourthseeded Villanova into the NCAA Tournament’s second round with a home win 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.
Villanova’s 29 wins this season tie the 1981-82 team for most in program history.
Miami 62, Oklahoma State 61: 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 as ninth-seeded Miami pulled off a 17-point second-half rally to defeat eighth-seeded Oklahoma State in Bloomington, Indiana.
The comeback was tied for the fifth-largest in tourney history. But it wasn’t over until Naomie Alnatas’ 10-footer rolled off the rim at the buzzer following a 5-second call on the Hurricanes.
Miami (20-12) will play top-seeded Indiana on its home court Monday night with a ticket to the Sweet 16 at stake.
Quinesha Lockett scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as
Toledo 80, Iowa State 73:
12th-seeded Toledo knocked off No. 5 seed Iowa State in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Toledo became the second 12 seed to win Saturday, joining Florida Gulf Coast not long after its win over Washington State. Toledo now will play No. 4 seed Tennessee.
The Rockets (29-4) matched the program record for most wins for a second straight season by winning a record 17th straight game.
Late Friday
Mississippi State 81, Creighton 66: Jerkaila Jordan scored 20 and led No. 11 seed MSU to a win in South Bend, Indiana. Lauren Jensen scored 22 points to lead Creighton (22-9).
Princeton 64, North Carolina State 63:
Grace Stone scored 22 points, including her fifth 3-pointer of the game with 4.7 seconds remaining, to lift the No. 10 seed Tigers (24-5) in Salt Lake City.
Princess Anne High graduate Aziaha James of No. 7 seed N.C. State had six points, five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes, though she rolled her ankle in the first half.
Utah 103, Gardner-Webb 77:
Alissa Pili tallied 33 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Jenna Johnson added 20 points and five assists for the No. 2 seed Utes (26-4). Pili and Johnson combined to make 22 of 31 shots.
Former Warwick High standout Christina Deng, a South Sudan native, went 3 for 3 from 3-point range to provide nine points in 19 minutes off the bench for the Bulldogs (29-5).
South Dakota State 62, Southern California 57 (OT):
Myah Selland scored 29 points to lead No. 9 seed SDSU to an overtime victory at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. Destiny Littleton led USC (21-10) with 18 points.
Stanford 92, Sacred Heart 49:
Haley Jones scored 17 points for a Stanford team missing star Cameron Brink because of a stomach bug. The No. 1 seed Cardinal (29-5) have reached the Sweet 16 in 14 consecutive tournaments.
Mississippi 71, Gonzaga 48: Snudda Collins scored 15 points and No. 8 seed Ole Miss (24-8) leaned on its stingy defense to beat Gonzaga.
More coverage
For more on the NCAA women’s tournament, see Page 6.