Baylor in its familiar role, but Cal’s no stranger to Waco

WACO — While topranked Baylor is playing host to opening-round games in the NCAA Women’s Tournament for the seventh year in a row, Waco also has become a familiar postseason spot for the California Golden Bears.

California (19-12) is playing NCAA tourney games at Baylor for the third time in six years even though it has avoided having to open against the home team each time. The eighth-seeded Golden Bears play No. 9 North Carolina (18-14) on Saturday. California won its first-round games in Central Texas in 2014 and 2017 before losing to the Lady Bears.

Perennial Big 12 champion Baylor (31-1), the No. 1 overall seed in the 64-team field, opens against NCAA first-timer Abilene Christian (23-9), the Southland Conference tournament champion whose Texas campus is about a threehour drive from Waco.

The Lady Bears have won a nation's-best 23 games in a row and have a 37-game home winning streak. They have won their last 14 NCAA Tournament games in the Ferrell Center and are an overwhelming favorite against a team in only its second year of Division I eligibility. “This is the last part of our season, and I asked (the players) how many games do you have to win to win a national championship. How many do you have to win to get to a Final Four,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “None of that matters if you don't win the next one. … We don't miss a scouting report. We spend the same amount of time in the film room.”

IOWA 66, MERCER 61

Megan Gustafson had 30 points and 16 rebounds to help the second-seeded Hawkeyes avoid a monumental upset by holding off the No. 15 Bears at Iowa City for their first NCAA Tournament victory in four years.

No 15th-seeded women’s team has won an NCAA tourney game.

Makenzie Meyer added 16 for Iowa (27-6), which advanced to play seventhseeded Missouri, a 77-76 winner over No. 10 Drake in overtime.

CONNECTICUT 110 TOWSON 61

Napheesa Collier scored 23 points as the Huskies, in the unusual position of being No. 2 seeds, got off to their usual NCAA Tournament start with an easy victory at Storrs, Conn.

Collier added 14 rebounds in recording up her 21st double-double of the season.

Freshman Christyn Williams scored 21 points, and Crystal Dangerfield added 20 for Connecticut (32-2).

BUFFALO 82, RUTGERS 71

Summer Hemphill scored 23 points, and Cierra Dillard added 20 as the 10th-seeded Bulls upset the No. 7 Scarlet Knights at Storrs, Conn.

Hanna Hall and Autumn Jones each scored 12 points for Buffalo (24-9).

Stasha Carey had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Rutgers, which has been without head coach C. Vivian Stringer since late February because of an undisclosed medical issue.

MICHIGAN 84 KANSAS ST. 54

Naz Hillmon scored 17 points off the bench, and Nicole Munger and Kayla Robbins each added 13 as the eighth-seeded Wolverines shot a season-high 56 percent to run away from the Wildcats at Louisville, Ky.

Christianna Carr had 21 points for Kansas State (21-12).